HYDERABAD: Abhishek and Gabbar Singh, both workers of a private courier service were unloading goods from the Rajkot Express that had just arrived on Platform No 6 on Friday morning when Army aspirants, who came in their hundreds, started dousing the goods inside the parcel coach with petrol. Abhishek and Gabbar Singh managed to save only some of the goods from the fire.
“There were hardly 10 personnel of the Railway Protection Force stationed inside the railway station. As soon as the mob barged inside the station, the policemen ran to save themselves. The mob started pelting stones and nobody had the chance to retaliate. When they set fire to the trains, we tried dousing the flames with buckets but with no success,” Abhishek told Express. Two of the trucks that were parked there to unload the goods were also torched by the mob.
“They came fully prepared. They came with a water bottle filled with petrol, and when it was exhausted, they filled them again from the motorcycles that had been just unloaded,” said Gabbar Singh.It was only after an explosion on a coach that passengers in other trains started running helter-skelter, assuming there was a bomb blast. The mob kept torching and damaging the coaches, food stalls, motorcycles and everything else they could .
“Property of ordinary citizens too was destroyed, and the ones who would suffer the most are the courier companies. If the youngsters wanted to express their anger, they could have stalled all the trains from operating. What have they achieved doing this?” Abhishek asked, while emphasising that the mob didn’t attack any passengers at the railway station.
Parwaan, who works at a luggage shop located right outside the main entrance of the railway station saw a huge mob converge in the form of a rally in the morning. He told Express that they first broke the window panes of a TSRTC bus right outside the station before entering the railway station and going on a rampage.
“When railway stations were being attacked across the country, the police should have seen this coming and should have stationed more forces here, but there were hardly any policemen around when it happened,” he said.
2 trains set afire, 6 others damaged
Train No. 18046, East Coast Express stationed at Platform No. 2. The protesters set fire to two coaches and also damaged windscreen.
Train No. 17064, Ajantha Express stationed at Platform No. 8. Two coaches set afire. and window panes of all coaches damaged.
Train No. 22717, Rajkot Express stationed at Platform No. 6. protesters damaged window panes of all coaches.
Train no. 12739, Garibrath Express stationed at Platform No. 4. Windscreen glasses of all coaches broken.
Train No. 17230, Sabari Express stationed at Platform No. 5. Windscreen damaged.
Train no. 12771, Raipur Express stationed at Platform no. 9. The agitators damaged window panes of all coaches.
Meanwhile three loco engines on Platform 1, 2 and 6 were also reported damaged. Accidental Relief Train and Medical Relief Train on Platform No.3, four coaches were damaged.
Policemen injured
Policemen who suffered injuries are Gopalapuram ACP N Sudheer Kumar, B Venkataramulu, A Srinivas, both railway policemen, HC M Sambhamurthy, RPF Constable Neelkamal and TSSP constable Chandru.