The Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani train carrying only a woman left from Daltanganj to Ranchi on Thursday. The Rajdhani Express was stopped at Daltonganj railway station around 5.30 am, while the goods trains were stranded on the Barkakana-Barwadih rail route of the East Central Railway as over 250 Tana Bhagats put up a blockade at Tori junction in Jharkhand’s Latehar district, demanding land rights and amendment of the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act.
As per the reports, the woman has been identified as Ananya.
The district administration arranged the bus service for 930 passengers boarded on the train. However, Ananya refused to travel by bus. Tired by her obstinate behaviour, the train took off with Ananya on board from Daltanganj at around 4 pm and left for Ranchi via Gomo and Bokaro.
Ananya argued that is she had to travel by bus, she would have opted for a bus from Delhi, as per a report in the Hindi news portal Prabhat Khabar.
The railway administration has also given her the option to travel by car. However, she refused. Thereafter, the railway authorities decided that the train would be diverted to Ranchi by the converted route. The Rajdhani Express then left Daltonganj for Ranchi late in the evening. While the young woman travelled alone, the railways made arrangements for her safety. An RPF officer was appointed on the train along with several women constables.
The movement of the Tana Bhagat community at Tori station of Jharkhand continues for the third consecutive day. Meanwhile, people from the Tana Bhagat community from different districts are reaching the protest site. Tana Bhagat has been sitting on a dharna on the railway tracks since Wednesday.
The community resorted to agitation from Wednesday evening by blocking the railway track. They have been demanding a complete ban on coal mining in Jharkhand saying the wealth of Jharkhand is being quickly belted-out of the state. They are also demanding land lease besides pension for them.
Tana Bhagats belong to a tribal community in Jharkhand’s Gumla district and are followers of Mahatma Gandhi’s principles. They reject the practices of spirit worship and sacrifice and live a simple life.
