Rail Roko Andolan: Rapid Action Force deployed at Haryana's Sonipat Railway Station
Oct 18, 2021
Sonipat (Haryana) [India], October 18 : Security arrangements have been upscaled at the Sonipat Railway Station in Haryana in view of farmer unions' call for 'Rail Roko' protests on Monday.
According to Hans Raj, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Sonipat, Rapid Action Force (RAF) has been deployed at the railway station to avoid any unfortunate incident.
"We have ensured adequate security at Sonipat Railway Station. 65 CRPF jawans, RAP and others have been deployed to prevent any untoward activity," the DSP said.
"The Kisan Unions are allowed to protest peacefully. If they try to disturb the peace and harmony here, we will take action accordingly," he added.
Earlier in the morning, Northern Railway informed that 30 locations have been affected and eight trains have been regulated following the rail roko protests.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a six-hour-long nationwide 'Rail roko' agitation on Monday demanding the removal of Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni from the Union Cabinet over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, in which his son Ashish Mishra Teni is an accused.
A statement issued by the umbrella body of farmers' unions on Sunday read, "To press for its demand for Ajay Mishra's dismissal and arrest, so that justice can be secured in Lakhimpur Kheri violence, SKM has announced a nation-wide rail roko program on October 18."
"SKM put out a call to its constituents to stop rail traffic for six hours on October 18, between 10 am and 4 pm. SKM asked for this action to be taken up peacefully, without any destruction and damage of any kind to any railway property," it said further.
A total of eight people including four farmers died in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that took place on October 3.
However, MoS Ajay Mishra Teni had refuted the allegations saying that his son was not present at the site of the incident. Ashish reiterated the same and refuted SKM's allegations.
Later, several people, including Ashish Mishra, were arrested in the case.
