NE citizens in special train survive scary ordeal as miscreants attack

Our Reporter
Dimapur, May 24 (EMN): A group of unidentified persons reportedly broke into the special train from Gurugram in Haryana that was carrying stranded citizens of the Northeast states at Danapur Railway Station in Bihar on May 24.

According to eyewitnesses, the unidentified persons ran roughshod over the passengers in order to board the special train, which was meant for transporting citizens of Northeast states who were stranded outside the region. They broke the windows and forced their way into the train but the passengers onboard the train stood their ground and fought back the forced entry.

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, Heka Sumi, a passenger onboard the train, said that the event occurred at around 5 am on May 24. He said that the unidentified persons sneaked into their compartments when most of them were sleeping.

Not suspecting any untoward eventuality, Sumi said that they were sleeping with the compartment doors open before they realised that the unidentified persons had already entered the train.

Because the train had women inside, he said that the male passengers politely asked them to leave as the train was meant only for the Northeast people. He added that some left at the first request while many of them stayed back, only to start a fight with the passengers.

However, he said that it was quite discouraging for the passengers not just because the unidentified persons were creating problems but the railway police did nothing to stop the illegal entry.

Sumi said that the police even assaulted the passengers for not opening the compartment doors and threatened to shoot them if they did not open the doors.

Another returnee, Naro narrated her experience of the unfortunate incident to Eastern Mirror.

“The unidentified persons broke the window shutters and the coach doors and forcefully entered into the train. They then started fighting with the male passengers when asked to leave and de-board the train,” Naro said.

“It did not end there, unfortunately. After the unidentified persons left the compartment hesitantly, they started pelting the train with stones in anger and screamed racial slurs at us,” Naro said.

Shanavas C, the principal director of School Education, who is also the overall in-charge of Covid-19 related activities outside the state, informed Eastern Mirror that some unidentified persons had tried to get into the train, which was specifically meant for transporting citizens of Northeast states stranded outside the region.

The official said that the railway police was informed of the situation and that the police had managed to successfully drive them out.

The special train from Gurugram, which was supposed to reach Dimapur on Sunday morning, has been delayed. An update from the Empowered Committee in Dimapur informed Eastern Mirror that the train might reach Dimapur on either Sunday night or Monday morning.