BJP workers taken for a ride - back home
January 23rd, 2011 - 2:30 pm ICT by IANS
Ahmednagar (Maharasthra), Jan 23 (IANS) Police and railway officials here hoodwinked Bharatiya Janata Party activists headed to Jammu and Kashmir for the Republic Day flag hoisting and shunted their special train back to Karnataka early Sunday.The Bengaluru-New Delhi Karnataka Express, whose 18 bogies were full of Karnataka BJP youth activists, arrived at Sarola station in the district and was due for onward departure to the north.
The activists, estimated at around 1,500, were scheduled to join other colleagues from different states for the party’s Tiranga Yatra in Srinagar Jan 26.
However, the centre and Jammu and Kashmir government have already announced that political activists from other states would not be allowed to create mischief. The local railway authorities here acted swiftly to thwart the onward journey of the train.
When the train halted here, they blacked out Sarola railway station.
Taking advantage of the blanket of darkness, they detached the train’s engine and attached it to the rear of the train.
Two more bogies with around 150 Railway Protection Force personnel were also attached to the train and around 1.30 a.m., it “started” its journey - but in the reverse direction and back to Karnataka.
It was only too late when the BJP workers, many of them fast asleep, in the train realized that they had been taken for a ride and halted the train at Nagansur station on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border.
A railway official said that “the drastic measure was implemented in order to avoid any untoward situation in Maharashtra.”
The police operation resulted in delays of two other trains traversing by the route.
- Harried Shatabdi passengers reach seven hours late - Oct 28, 2011
- Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani catches fire, one injured - Apr 18, 2011
- BJP plans to hold rally near Punjab-Jammu and Kashmir border - Jan 25, 2011
- Konkan Railway enters 22nd year of operation - Oct 16, 2011
- Yatra stopped to please separatists: BJP; flag hoisted at Madhopur (Roundup) - Jan 26, 2011
- 15 killed as Hampi Express hits stationary train in Andhra (Lead) - May 22, 2012
- Train derails in Punjab, no casualties - Oct 26, 2010
- Jharkhand BJP demands resumption of night trains - Nov 27, 2011
- Yatra stopped to please Kashmir separatists, says BJP (Second Lead) - Jan 26, 2011
- Mumbai-Delhi march for love of national flag - Apr 12, 2012
- Jammu-Srinagar highway shut to prevent BJP march - Jan 25, 2011
- BJP activists stop trains in Punjab, Haryana - Apr 03, 2012
- 15 dead in Andhra train accident - May 22, 2012
- BJP to move court on 'illegal actions' against Ekta Yatra - Jan 27, 2011
- Chavan meets PM over Belgaum dispute (Lead, superseding previous story) - Jul 14, 2010
Tags: bengaluru, bogies, drastic measure, jammu and kashmir, jammu and kashmir government, kashmir, maharashtra, maharasthra, mischief, party activists, police operation, political activists, railway authorities, railway official, railway officials, railway station, republic day, srinagar, tiranga yatra, youth activists