Rail union members block rail traffic

Chandigarh: Rail movement on New Delhi- Amritsar and New Delhi-Jammu route was today disrupted as Northern Railway Men`s Union (NRMU) members squatted on the tracks demanding arrest of persons who allegedly attacked and injured some of their members in a clash two days back.

A senior railway official said that NRMU members sat on a dharna at different places including Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Ferozepur and Jammu Tawi, affecting the rail traffic for about an hour. "The movement of 7-8 trains was affected this morning. The dharna was lifted by the union employees after an hour and normal rail traffic has been restored," Ferozepur`s Divisional Railway Manager, N C Goel said over phone. Five members of NRMU were injured on Saturday night in an alleged clash with members from another union Uttariya Railway Mazdoor Union (URMU) at Ferozepur railway station, where they had gone to deposit the ballot boxes after conclusion of elections for the railway union. NRMU leaders have maintained that five of their men got injured in the attack and had to be admitted to a Ludhiana hospital. URMU, however, has claimed that their men were attacked first and four of their members were injured and admitted to a hospital in Amritsar. Both groups had submitted separate complaints to the police. The NRMU has been demanding immediate arrest of the alleged culprits. They have alleged that no action has been taken so far against the accused. The election`s result will be declared on May 2. PTI