PTI

Gujjars attacking a train in Chata village, Mathura, on Monday.

NEW DELHI: The agitation by members of the Gujjar community in the capital and some parts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana on Monday severely affected the movement of trains in Delhi and its adjoining areas. In the capital alone, at least eight trains had to be cancelled, while over 20 trains were either rescheduled or diverted.

Train services came to a virtual standstill on the Delhi-Aligarh section for over seven hours after agitators blocked tracks at Dadri and Ajaibpur in the neighbouring Gautam Budh Nagar district on Monday morning. The blockade continued till afternoon, delaying all Delhi-bound trains from eastern and northern States, besides affecting departure of trains from the Capital.

According to a Northern Railway official, at least five Delhi-bound Rajdhani trains from Howrah, Dibrugarh, Sealdah, Bhubaneshwar and Ranchi, and dozen other trains reached the Capital hours behind schedule.

Protesters also blocked rail traffic at Palwal in Haryana and Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh. As a result, the movement of trains in these areas was also affected. However, soon traffic in these sections was normalised.

The trains that were cancelled in the capital included the Ajmer Shatabdi, Puja Express, Ashram Express, Alhazrat Express and Jaisalmer-Delhi Express. Similarly, Howrah Rajdhani, Sealdah Rajdhani, Jharkhand Express, Janata Express and Gondwana Express were among the trains that were rescheduled.

The North-Western Railway cancelled at least seven trains on Monday, while around 10 trains were either rescheduled or diverted. Mainly trains operating from Jodhpur, Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan have been affected due to the ongoing Gujjar agitation.

Movement of trains originating from Ahmedabad and Mumbai and passing via Rajasthan has also been hit. According to a Western Railway official, one train was cancelled and six others were rescheduled as train operations in the region has been affected.

"The delay in arrival and departure of trains in the Capital has affected the train schedule. We are keeping a close eye on the situation and have asked our officers to go for controlled movement of trains in protest-hit areas," said a senior Railway Ministry official.

Staff Reporter adds:

Protesters resorted to arson and stone pelting in some areas and traffic was disrupted at several others in response to the "Delhi bandh."

Thirty-seven people were arrested in different parts of the city and over a dozen security forces personnel, including two Border Security Force constables, were injured in clashes with protesters. Five buses — four belonging to the Delhi Transport Corporation and one to the Uttar Pradesh Roadways — were torched in Aya Nagar, Jasola, Usmanpur and Khajoori Khas, while half-a-dozen DTC buses and private vehicles were damaged in different parts of South and North-East Delhi.

The worst hit was the Gujjar-dominated Aya Nagar in South Delhi where mobs torched two DTC buses and a truck and also pelted stones at the police and vehicles plying on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road. Traffic on this busy road was disrupted for more than two hours and the police had to resort to a lathi-charge and lob teargas shells to disperse the protesters.

In adjoining Badarpur, the protest began on a peaceful note with the Gujjars shouting slogans against Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and burning her effigy. However, the agitation later took a violent turn when they pelted stones at DTC buses plying on the Mehrauli-Badarpur road. Several passengers sustained injuries. "We have registered a case of rioting and causing damage to public property," said a senior police officer.

Similarly, four private vehicles were damaged in the Gujjar-dominated villages in Najafgarh and 15 people were detained. Several areas in Kapashera also witnessed traffic snarls and peaceful protests. The agitators burnt tyres and stopped traffic at several intersections in the area.

In North-East Delhi, a DTC bus was set ablaze and three buses and an auto-rickshaw were damaged. "Two persons, including a policeman, were injured in the incident. A case of rioting has been registered and a dozen people have been arrested," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-East) Rupinder Kumar said.

In East Delhi, protest marches were taken out and traffic was disrupted at several points on National Highway-24.

The bandh also adversely affected supply of essential commodities such as milk, fruits and vegetables from the neighbouring States like Uttar Pradesh. Jeeps and autorickshaws carrying milk containers from the nearby areas of Uttar Pradesh were stopped at the Apsara Border. Several trucks carrying vegetables and other essential commodities were also not able to reach the Ghazipur wholesale market.

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