Eastern Railway cancels, reschedules several trains due to 'Agnipath' protests

Trains stand parked at Patna railway station after several trains were cancelled following protests against Centre`s `Agnipath` scheme. Pic/PTI

On Sunday, the Eastern Railway cancelled or rescheduled several trains connecting Kolkata and other places in West Bengal with northern parts of the country, including the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, due to the stir against the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme. An Eastern Railway official said the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express left Howrah station after its scheduled time of departure.

A total of 29 trains, including the Poorva Express, Howrah-Kalka Netaji Express, Kolkata-Amritsar Express, Yog Nagari Rishikesh Doon Express, Sealdah-Jaynagar Gangasagar Express and the Kolkata-Gorakhpur Purvanchal Express have been cancelled for the day, the official said.

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Youths in several parts of the country have been protesting against the contentious defence recruitment 'Agnipath' scheme.

Over the past few days, incidents of protesters vandalising railway stations, setting trains on fire and blocking roads and railway tracks have been reported from different cities and towns of India.

The official said the Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express has also been cancelled for Sunday due to operational constraints.

(with inputs from PTI)