Bihar: Shramjeevi Express train set on fire by agitators in Gaya

Students protesting against alleged irregularities in Railway Recruitment Board`s exam allegedly set a passenger train on fire, in Arrah. Pic/ANI

The ongoing protest by job aspirants and students turned violent when a large number of agitators set several coaches of the New Delhi-bound Shramjeevi Express train on fire in Bihar's Gaya.

As a large number of protesters were protesting in Patna, Arrah and Buxar, the Rajgir-New Delhi Shramjeevi express train was diverted towards Gaya to go to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (Mugal Sarai) and then further towards New Delhi.

A large number of protesters, holding Tricolours assembled on the track in the Patna-Gaya railway section in the morning. When the Shramjeevi Express arrived, they initially pelted stones and then set some coaches on fire.

Aditya Kumar, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Gaya confirmed the incident. "The students pelted stones on the train and set it on fire. We are making efforts to identify the agitators on the basis of video evidence we have," Kumar said.

"We have appealed to the agitating students on loudspeakers to stay calm. The RRB has constituted a committee to address the issue," he said. Besides Gaya, a large number of students also assembled in Sasaram, Bhabhua road, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Buxar, Arrah, Patna, Vaishali and other places as well.

In Madhubani, the police administration opened fire on the agitators. Three persons were reportedly injured in the firing. In Dalsinghsarai railway station in Samastipur, the students have removed connecting plates of the tracks and put railway lines on it.

The students and the job aspirants were protesting against the fresh notification of the Indian Railways wherein it has finalised two examinations.

The agitators said that there was only one examination in the earlier notification in 2019, now RRB has issued a fresh notification as well and given a provision of two examinations. The officials have also been allegedly involved in irregularities with candidates having 50 marks being passed in the examination while many candidates having 80 to 85 marks have failed.

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