KMSS activists at a road blockade in Golaghat on Tuesday demanding release of activist Akhil Gogoi. Picture by UB Photos

Jorhat, July 5: Several trains, including a long-distance one, were stranded at various stations for several hours today as hundreds of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti activists staged a sudden rail roko agitation in Golaghat district.

While the Amritsar Express and Jorhat-bound Janashatabdi Express were stranded at Sarupathar railway station, a passenger train plying between Mariani and Lumding stations was stopped at Barpathar station for more than three hours.

Security forces were taken by surprise when hundreds of villagers from Tengani marched to the railway tracks at Khakandaguri under Barpathar police station and blocked the tracks.

Tengani is the birthplace of KMSS with the settlers in the Doyang reserve forest demanding permanent land pattas for several decades now.

On receiving information, police and CRPF personnel rushed to the area and tried to chase away the protesters but in vain.

However, the the rail roko demonstration was called off later.

“We had no clue as to what was going on. They suddenly swooped on the spot and started the blockade,” a police official said.

This was the second such agitation in eight days, with the demand that RTI activist and KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi, arrested in Guwahati on June 24, be released.

Today’s agitation in the Khakandaguri area started around 11am and was launched without any prior announcement by the KMSS, unlike the one on June 26, taking the security forces by surprise.

The agitation was, however, called off suddenly around 2pm but the protesters threatened that such a programme would be undertaken again if Gogoi was not released by tomorrow.

Gogoi’s bail plea is slated to come up for hearing tomorrow following a petition filed last week.

In another development, over a score of KMSS supporters, including Chitra Gogoi, a central executive member and finance secretary, were arrested for violation of Section 144 at Tezpur today.

The KMSS supporters had assembled at Tezpur Jahaj Ghat to protest against the construction of a road passage from the riverbank to transport machinery for the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation’s under-construction Lower Subansiri power project in Arunachal Pradesh.

Two vessels carrying the machinery are now anchored at Bongshichar in Dhubri district after being turned back from Tezpur by the AASU.

In their next attempt, the KMSS turned away the vessels from Biswanath Chariali. The KMSS is against construction of big dams.

The protest comes amid reported moves by Dispur to ensure delivery of the machinery.

In a statement, Akhil Gogoi today appealed to the people of the state to put up stiff resistance against construction of the power project.

“I appeal to all organisations and people from all walks of life to hit the streets to stop construction of the Lower Subansiri Hydro-Electric Project,” he said.

Gogoi said there are reports that under tight security measures eight ships would bring some turbines to install at the project.

“If we cannot stop construction of the project, the Centre will keep on constructing more dams in the Northeast which will cause great harm to all of us,” Gogoi said.