The Railways have adopted a tough stance against those who picketed trains across the State on Tuesday during the 48-hour general strike and has slapped criminal cases under various sections of the Indian Railways Act.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has booked cases against hundreds who squatted on the railway tracks disrupting train services to protest against the anti-labour policies of the NDA government.
In Thiruvananthapuram railway division alone, cases have been registered for picketing 21 trains and nine in adjoining Palakkad railway division. “The picketing by agitators in Thiruvananthapuram central was the worst and Venad Express was held up for one-and-a-half hours. In all, 21 trains were affected due to picketing and the spin-off effect is continuing,” a top railway official told The Hindu .
The leaders who led the protest on the railway premises had been named in the cases registered under Section 147 (criminal trespass), Section 145 B ( public nuisance), Section 174 (obstructing movement of trains) and Section 146 (obstructing the discharge of duties of the officials, loco pilot and guard) under the Railways Act in the concerned RPF police station.
Those booked for the agitation in central station here include CPI(M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappan and former legislator V. Sivankutty.
The offences though bailable are non-compoundable and together attract three years imprisonment. “The law will take its own course,” a railway official said.
The tough stance comes close on the heels of a directive by RPF Director General Arun Kumar to the officials to register cases against rail roko agitators to get them debarred from contesting polls. If any one is convicted under Section 174 of the Railways Act 1989, they cannot contest elections.
