BJP supporters protest at Tatanagar on Tuesday. Picture by Animesh Sengupta

Jamshedpur, Nov. 20: The BJP today staged dharnas at four railway stations in the Kolhan region demanding restoration of night train service in the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section of South Eastern Railway (SER), the sole route on which the ban remains.

The movement of trains was unaffected as the party activists carrying flags and banners started gathering at Tatanagar, Phuldungri, Ghatshila and Rajkharsawan from around 10am and staged protests outside the stations.

At Tatanagar, BJP state spokesperson Amarpreet Singh Kale led the agitation, with over 100 supporters joining in between 10am and 3pm.

“We demand immediate resumption of night trains in Kharagpur-Tatanagar railway section. The people of this region are facing a tough time due to the night ban. When the railways can run goods train at night, why not passenger trains?” said Kale.

Later, a party delegation led by the senior BJP leader met the railway authorities and submitted a memorandum highlighting the plight of passengers due to the ban in the Howrah-Mumbai route via Kharagpur and Tatanagar.

The memorandum, addressed to the Union railway minister, also demanded increased passenger amenities such as re-opening the city railway ticket booking centre at Sakchi, introduction of a new train between Tatanagar and New Delhi via Patna and that of Puri-Dharbhanga Express via Tatanagar.

Similar BJP protests were witnessed at the other railway stations.

The party leaders also threatened to intensify to their agitation if the ban was not lifted within a week.

The railway board, through a notification issued late on Sunday, lifted the night train ban in the other two sections — Kharagpur-Adra and Chakradharpur-Rourkela — from yesterday. However, on the first day of the lifting of the ban, Shalimar-LTT Kurla Express remained stranded the entire night at Chakradharpur station as usual.

Railway authorities said the train would be allowed to run normally from tonight.

The night train ban in the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section was extended till December 23.