Mrunal Manmay Dash

On the heels of widespread violence and arsoning over Central government’s recently announced ‘Agnipath’ scheme for recruitment of youths in the Armed Forces, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Friday cancelled six trains originating and passing through Odisha.

The trains are:

01. 12253 Yesvantpur-Bhagalpur Express from Yesvantpur on 18.06.2022

02. 08439 Puri-Patna Express from Puri on 18.06.2022

03. 08440 Patna-Puri Express from Patna on 19.06.2022

04. 20823 Puri-Ajmer Express from Puri on 20.06.2022

05. 20824 Ajmer-Puri Express from Ajmer on 23.06.2022

06. 22643 Ernakulam-Patna Express from Ernakulam on 20.06.2022

Over 200 trains have already been cancelled so far across the country due to the ongoing protests over the Agnipath scheme, the Indian Railways said on Friday.

According to zonal railways, 164 trains were cancelled in the East Central Railways (ECR), 34 in North Eastern Railways (NER), 13 in Northern Railways (NR) and around three in Northeast Frontier Railways.

Coaches of seven trains have so far been set ablaze by protestors, officials said, adding coaches of three running trains in the ECR and one empty rake in Kulharia, in the same zone, were damaged by protestors.

One coach of a train was also damaged in the washing line at Uttar Pradesh's Ballia. So far, 64 trains were short terminated in ECR, they said.

Earlier in the day, the Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had urged youths not to destroy railway assets. "I appeal to the youth to not indulge in violent protests and not damage the property of the Railways."

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