Kurmi rail blockades in Jharkhand, Odisha lifted; normal train services to resume soon

The rail blockade by Kurmi bodies demanding Scheduled Tribe status for the community in Jharkhand and Odisha ended on Wednesday, though for different reasons, while the train traffic is expected to resume on those tracks “at the earliest”.

Several trains under the purview of SER and ECoR were cancelled or diverted on Wednesday, including the premium Rajdhani Express and Vande Bharat Express, owing to the blockade in the two states, officials said.

Members of Totemik Kurmi Vikas Morcha (TKVM), a leading Kurmi body in Jharkhand, said that they called off the strike after an assurance from the state government for a discussion on their demands.

An Odisha-based organisation claimed that it was a one-day stir and it ended on Wednesday.

Several Kurmi bodies had called for an indefinite railway blockade at nine stations in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha from Wednesday to press for their demand for ST status for the community, and inclusion of the Kurmali language in the eighth schedule of the Constitution.

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court, headed by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam, had on Tuesday declared the call for indefinite rail and road blockades by the community as illegal and unconstitutional. The Adivasi Kurmi Samaj in West Bengal then withdrew the blockade.

In Jharkhand, TKVM president Sheetal Ohdar said, “We are calling off the rail blockade after a written assurance from Jharkhand chief secretary for a discussion on September 25.” People from the Kurmi community under the TKVM banner sat on the tracks at Muri station in Ranchi district, Ghagra in West Singhbhum, Nimdih in Saraikela-Kharswan and Gomoh in Dhanbad district since morning disrupting railway traffic.

In view of their agitation, at least 15 trains were cancelled and 14 others were diverted under the Ranchi railway division of South Eastern Railway (SER) on Wednesday. In addition, routes of nine trains have also been reduced, a railway official said.

Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Ranchi Railway Division Nishant Kumar told PTI: “The agitation was called off after a discussion with the state administration. The train traffic will be normalised at the earliest.” The trains that were diverted “due to ongoing agitation by Kurmi Samaj” include the Patna-Ranchi Vande Bharat Express and Howrah-Mumbai Duronto Express, while those cancelled were the Howrah-Mumbai Gitanjali Express and Hatia-Kharagpur Express, among others, the South Eastern Railway said.

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) in a release said a number of trains have been cancelled and diverted for the day, which include the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Duronto Express and Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express.

“Agitation by Kurmi Adivasi Samaj, which was cancelled yesterday as per the directions of Hon’ble High Court of Kolkata, has taken a new turn today with agitation taking place at various places in Jharkhand like Manoharpur near Chakradharpur, Gomoh and at other places near Muri,” it said.

In a bid to keep the agitators away from railway tracks, state and railway administration had ensured heavy deployment for security at all four scheduled stations.

Ranchi administration had imposed prohibitory measures under CrPC Section 144 in Silli Circle near the Muri Railway Station from 6 pm on Tuesday, an official said. The same order was also imposed around Gomoh station in Dhanbad.

However, defying the prohibitory order, the agitators assembled at Muri railway station and blocked railway movements in the morning.

Police baton-charged the agitators in Nimdih of Seraikela-Kharswan district on Wednesday after the personnel were brick-batted, a senior official said.

In Odisha, Kurumi Ekta Manch state Convenor Chhotelal Mahant said, “It was a one-day stir and there will be no blockade tomorrow.” The protestors put up blockades at Harichandanpur, Jaraikela and Dhanpur stations in Odisha.

Ajit Mahato, a leader of Adivasi Kurmi Samaj in West Bengal, had Tuesday said that the indefinite rail blockade called by Kurmis was withdrawn “as our senior leaders are being harassed by police. We will take a collective decision on the next course of action on September 30 in Purulia”.