Bihar: Itadhi crossing protest intensifies in Buxar; rail blockade foiled

Patna, July 18 (IANS) The demand to reopen the Itadhi railway crossing in Bihar’s Buxar district has snowballed into a major public movement.

The indefinite sit‑in protest, which began on July 13, entered its fifth day on Saturday and took a dramatic turn when protesters attempted to march towards the railway tracks to stage a rail blockade.

However, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the local administration, anticipating the move, deployed heavy security and stopped the demonstrators before they could reach the tracks.

A brief confrontation ensued, during which police used mild force to disperse the crowd, creating tension in the area. Senior officials later intervened and persuaded the protesters to return to the designated protest site, ensuring train services continued without disruption.

From early Saturday morning, hundreds of residents gathered at the protest venue carrying the Tricolour, banners, and placards demanding the reopening of the railway crossing.

The area resonated with slogans against the railway administration, with protesters chanting “open the crossing, give relief to the public” and accusing authorities of ignoring the hardships faced by local residents.

District convener Saroj Rajbhar, leading the agitation, said the movement represented the collective voice of thousands of people rather than any individual or organisation. He alleged that despite several days of peaceful demonstrations, neither the railway authorities nor the district administration had taken concrete steps to address the issue.

According to Rajbhar, the closure of the railway crossing has severely disrupted everyday life. Patients are taking longer routes to reach hospitals, schoolchildren are forced to travel extra distances, farmers are struggling to transport produce to markets, and the movement of the general public has become increasingly difficult.

He further pointed out that the annual Shravani Mela is set to begin in the coming days, during which lakhs of Kanwariya pilgrims pass through the route to reach the Ganges for holy rituals. If the crossing remains closed during the pilgrimage season, he warned, inconvenience for both devotees and local residents would multiply significantly.

Issuing a stern warning to the administration, Rajbhar said that although protesters were prevented from reaching the railway tracks on Saturday, they would launch a day‑long rail blockade after 11 days if the crossing was not reopened.

He asserted that the agitation would continue until the public’s demand was fulfilled.

RPF Inspector Kundan Kumar, who supervised the security arrangements, said adequate forces had been deployed after receiving prior intelligence about the proposed rail blockade. He stated that railway personnel and local police successfully prevented protesters from reaching the tracks and persuaded them to return peacefully after assuring them that their grievances would be forwarded to senior railway authorities.

The dispute stems from the closure of the Itadhi railway crossing following the inauguration of a railway overbridge (ROB). Soon after its inauguration, vehicular movement on the overbridge was suspended due to a technical fault.

Despite the ROB becoming unusable, the railway crossing was not reopened, triggering widespread public resentment.

--IANS

ajk/dan