Taking a cue from the Gujjar agitation, members of the Nishad community blocked lucknow-Gorakhpur rail route and fought a pitched battle with police in which one worker was killed and scores of government vehicles were set afire. The workers of Rashtriya Nishad Ekta Parishad pelted stones at police in which several officials including SDM and SP were injured. DIG Sanjiv Kumar Gupta told reporter here on Sunday that situation is tense but under control. The agitationists have been evacuated from the train track and the train service has been restored.
He confirmed death of one person. The members of Nishad community squatted on the rail track near Sahjanwah railway station disrupting the lucknow-Gorakhpur rail route while demanding reservation under the Other Backward Class (OBC) quota. “For the last 65 years we are demanding reservation for Nishad community. It is one of the most neglected communities of the country. We do not have IAS or IPS. A few doctors and engineers are there but they too have been shunted out. We are left with no option but to stage protest for our genuine demands,” Dr Sanjay Nishad, president of the Rashtriya Nishad Ekta Parishad told the Pioneer one telephone.
He said that over a thousand members of the Nishad community were staging peaceful protest when all of a sudden police opened fire. “The police mercilessly beat up members of the Nishad community in which one member died,” Sanjay Nishad said. “This is the dictatorial attitude of the state government which we will not tolerate. We will intensify our agitation and take the fight to the door steps of the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav,” he said.
Police on the other hand said that members of the Nishad community squatted at the Sihapat halt of the Sahjanwa demanding reservation. They blocked the rail route. The ADM, DM and DIG tried to pacify the agitationists. The situation went out of hand when local MlA’ Rajmati Nishad’s representative Amrendra Nishad too reached the site and took the side of the agitating Nishad community. “Some on from the crowd started pelting stones at the police. In retaliation police busted tear gas shells and used mild force to disrupt the mob. Some senior officials were injured in the stone pelting,” DIG said.
He denied that police opened fire on the agitating Nishad community members. The police official said a few workers were injured who have been given first aid. ADG law and order Daljeet Chaudhry said that police had to use to the force as the protest went berserk. Police and PAC teams have been deployed on the spot.. “The members of Nishad community have also damaged public property. They have set police jeeps and buses on fire,” he said. Meanwhile NER spokesman Alok Srivastava said in lucknow that the rail route was affected for over 8 hours. “In all 15 trains were affected. Two trains were short terminated and the rest were diverted,” he told The Pioneer.