Women block trains to protest razing of slum

Mumbai: The Railway Police Force (RPF) has arrested 24 women and two men for disrupting services on the slow, fast and trans-harbour main lines between Airoli and Thane. The protesters observed a rail roko after Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) began a slum demolition drive on Monday afternoon. Thirty trains were cancelled, and 60 were delayed as protesters blocked the mainline for around 20 minutes.

The protesters have been booked under the Railway Act sections 147 (trespassing and refusal to desist from trespassing) and 174 (a) (obstructing the running of a train). With the rail-roko taking place near Dighe, all six lines were severely affected.

Sachin Bhalode, the RPF senior divisional security commissioner, said, “Not only did we arrest the protesters, but we have also increased security. The Thane Municipal Corporation is carrying out a demolition drive. If the slum dwellers try to block the rail line again, we will be ready to act.”

Another official said, “The crowd was first going towards the Thane-Belapur road but since they were not able to make the kind of impact they wanted to and hence they decided to protest near Dighe. They thought that by protesting between Airoli and Thane they would be able to gain attention.”

The Mumbai suburban has been at the epicentre of rail-rokos as most recently a huge protest took place at Titwala on January 20. Central Railway (CR) chief public relations officer, Narendra Patil said, “We will take strict action against people who try to disrupt services.”