VELLORE: DMK members on Friday staged a rail roko across the district in support of jallikattu. Police arrested as many as 1,050 DMK cadre for staging the protest. As a result, the services of a number of trains were disrupted.
The cadre staged the rail roko at Jolarpet, Katpadi, Walajah and Arakkonam railway stations. MLAs A.P. Nandhakumar (Anaicut) and P. Karthikeyan (Vellore) led the protest at Katpadi railway station and A. Nallathambi (Tirupattur) at Jolarpet railway station.
Mr. Nandhakumar said hundreds of cadre took part in the protest demanding the lifting of ban on jallikattu.
Train services disrupted
The services of several Chennai-bound trains were disrupted due to the rail roko. At Katpadi station, the protesters blocked the Mysuru – Chennai Central Shatabdi Express that had arrived at 9.02 a.m. and was stationed at the station. They protested from 9.30 a.m. to 11 a.m., according to a railway official.
“Following this, the train service was terminated. Passengers were asked to alight and were sent to their destinations by bus. While we made arrangements for 22 buses to ferry passengers to Chennai, three buses left Katpadi with passengers to Bengaluru,” he added.
A few other Chennai-bound trains that arrived at Katpadi were also terminated. Lalbagh Express, Chennai Express (Bengaluru to Chennai), Goa Express (Goa to Chennai) and Inter City Express (Coimbatore to Chennai) were terminated after reaching at Katpadi station, he said. All the passengers left by road, he added.
