Tuni (East Godavari): Passengers travelling on the torched Ratnachal Express recounted the horrific experience of being threatened and forcefully disembarked from the train on Sunday by protesters, who attended Kapu Ikya Garjana demanding reservation for the Kapu caste. Passengers on the train, who were eyewitness to the shocking incident, said a 20 thousand strong mob surrounded the train, pelted stones while passengers were still and even threatened women and children to burn them alive if they didn’t follow their orders to disembark from the train about 2 kilometres from Tuni.
V. Aruna Kumari, a mother travelling with her children to Vijayawada, said the protesters even beat up her fellow passengers. “They asked us to get off the train but we said we have little children with us and we can’t do it. They threatened us saying they would lock the coach with us inside and set it on fire if we didn’t get off immediately. They even beat up some of the other passengers. We were very scared, we had no choice. After everyone got off the coach, they set it on fire.”
As many as 23 of the 24 bogies, including the engine, of the Ratnachal Express were set alight using kerosene and petrol. The driver of the train was also assaulted. Another passenger also recalled the incidents leading up to the burning. Y Jaswant, an engineering third year student, said the mobsters pelted stones at the train, with passengers inside, before burning it.
“The train was moving at about 40 kmph maybe. And suddenly, thousands strong mob on the track waved a red flag at the train from a distance. They started pelting stones when the train came closer. Very soon, the mob grew stronger. There might have been over one lakh people. Many of them were drunk. When the train stopped, they beat up the driver. They started getting passengers off the train with force. Many of them were beaten up. It was horrific. We took a lot of time to reach Tuni,” Jaswant recalled.
Chief Security Commissioner of Railway Protection Force (RPF) Sanjay Sanskrit and Superintendent of Police, Government Railway Police (GRP) Shemushi Bajpai and few other officials on Monday inspected the gutted Ratnachal express train at Tuni Railway station. The officials said that they have registered cases under various sections and examining the video footage to identify the accused, who set fire to the train.
