Bhubaneswar/Jhargram: Train services of the South Eastern Railway (SER) and East Coast Railway (ECoR) were affected on Wednesday as Kurmis blocked railway tracks in two stations in West Bengal demanding ST status, officials said.
Members of the Kurmi community, who are currently under the OBC category, blocked tracks at Khemasuli railway station in Paschim Medinipur district and Kustaur in Purulia.
They also blockaded NH 6 at Khemasuli to press for their demand.
As a result of their stir, SER cancelled 46 express and passenger trains and short-terminated eight trains, a release said.
“The blockade will continue until our demands are met,” Tapas Mahato, a leader of the West Bengal Kurmi Samaj, said.
Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on NH 6 as a result of the blockade, triggering massive traffic snarls in other adjoining roads in Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram districts.
Some of the vehicles were diverted through Balibhasha in Jhargram to bypass the blockade, officials said.
In neighbouring Odisha, though no agitation was organised, train services to and from North India were partially affected, the East Coast Railways said.
One train was cancelled, one was short-terminated and seven were diverted, an ECoR official said.
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