The recent week-long violence against the Agnipath scheme for the armed forces resulted into a colossal loss of over hundreds of crore to the Indian Railway with maximum losses reported from Bihar and Telangana. Dozens of express and other passengers' trains were vandalized and their coaches were set on fire by the protesters against the rollout of the Agnipath scheme in which two persons were killed and more than 35 injured.
Admitting about the huge losses due to various law and order problems including the Agnipath agitation, Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, said that the railway had to grant a total refund of approximately Rs102.96 crore between June 14 and 30 on account of cancellations of trains to the passengers alone apart from crores woth property damages.
Apart from this, the railways has suffered losses of Rs 259.44 crore due to damages and destruction of railway assets and infrastructure in the last few months of the current fiscal year in different parts of country due to agitations and other law and order problems.
Sharing details of last few years, the railway minister further stated that the railway incurred losses of worth Rs 1117 crores due to agitations during 2019, 2020 and 2021 apart from the losses incurred during the last few months.
"During the last three years, the railway incurred losses of Rs 151 crore in 2019, Rs 904 crore in 2020 and Rs 62 crore in 2021 due to other agitations", the minister detailed in a written reply, adding that 159 cases were also lodged during those years.
He also informed the House that the maximums violent protest damaging railway property was reported from Bihar and Telangana during the current year up to June, included the incidents which were reported during the agitation against the Agnipath scheme.
Citing data on arresting of persons, the Railway Minister said that a total of 6,642 persons were arrested for agitation against the Agnipath scheme. He said that two casualties were also reported and 35 persons injured from various areas during the agitation against the Agnipath scheme.
"The highest number of arresting of 1051 was reported from Southern zone, followed by 700 arrests from East Central railway, which covers railways in Bihar and other neighboring states, 298 from North Eastern, 244 from South Central and rest from other zone", the minister stated.
The two deaths during the Agnipath agitation in railways areas were reported from ECR and South Central while the highest number of 21 persons was injured in South Central railway and 14 in East Central Railway.