Pulwama terror attack: Protesters block rail tracks at Nalasopara for over 3 hours

A group of protesters on Saturday blocked the railway tracks at Nalasopara station in Palghar district of Maharashtra to protest against the terror attack in Pulwama that killed 40 CRPF personnel, officials said. The protesters got onto the tracks around 8.20 am and started raising slogans against Pakistan, the officials said, adding that train services on the route were affected due to the protest. In a tweet, the Western Railway (WR) said, “Several protesters have blocked the tracks at Nallasopara due to which train movement has been affected at Nallasopara & beyond. GRP, RPF are making efforts to convince the people & evacuate the tracks & normalize the train movement.”

Chief spokesperson of the WR, Ravinder Bhakar, said the protest started at 8.20 am when people came on the railway tracks and stopped the movement of trains.

“Trains are not operating between Nalasopara and Virar stations, while services between Vasai to Churchgate are normal. Forces have been called in to disperse the agitating crowd,” he said.

The protesters shouted slogans of ‘Bharat mata ki jai’. They also raised slogans against Pakistan for the Pulwama terror attack and demanded action against the neighbouring country for sponsoring and sheltering terrorists and terror groups, another official said.

“The agitation is likely to affect the schedule of the long-distance trains as well,” he added.

Forty CRPF personnel were killed and five injured in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.