“There were some problems at Baruipur station owing to train delays, following which passengers tried to disrupt normal train services. But we soon brought the situation under control. Passengers at Sealdah station also tried to do the same but it was controlled soon after,” said Barun Mullick, Superintendent of Railway Police Sealdah.

Train services resumed around 1.30 pm, four hours after it was stopped, that is when police resorted to lathicharge to clear the tracks. In retaliation, passengers ransacked the railway ticket counter and office of the stationmaster at Baruipur railway station. Two RPF constables and three railway employees were injured after passengers pelted stones at them. One passenger was also reportedly injured in the lathicharge. Police have arrested three persons in this connection.

According to the police, a tower van stopped on the rail tracks between Baruipur and Mullickpur railway stations today morning due to a mechanical fault thereby disrupting train services in these two sections. The delay, however, angered passengers who blocked the tracks.

With several Madhyamik examinees stranded on platforms at Dakshin Barasat, Hontar and Suryapur, police first requested the passengers to call off their protest considering the plight of the board students. But the agitating passengers paid no heed to it. With the train service showing no signs of resuming, students opted for different transportation modes. While some of them boarded buses, others hired private cars.