Punjab violence;15,000 passengers stranded in Jammu

About 15,000 passengers, mostly Vaishnodevi pilgrims, are stranded at Jammu railway station due to disruption in rail services in the wake of violent protests in some parts of Punjab over the attack on a sect leader in Vienna.

Railways cancelled 19 trains passing through Jammu after violence broke out in Jalandhar and other neighbouring districts of Punjab yesterday, official sources said here.

Most of the passengers include Vaishnodevi pilgrims returning after paying their obeisance at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi.

Two social organisations and the state unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad have organised community kitchens at the railway station since yesterday to provide food for the stranded pilgrims.

The number of stranded passengers is likely to go up as pilgrims are continuing to return from Vaishnodevi shrine as also other people, who were scheduled to leave from Jammu station to other parts of the country.

Several hundred passengers have already left for Delhi and other stations through alternative modes of road transport.

Senior district officers of Jammu and SSP, Jammu, Manohar Singh have visited the railway station and were monitoring basic amenities like water, medicines, food for the passengers.

Authorities have also set up some mobile toilet vans for the convenience of the stranded people.

About 300 followers of Guru Ravi Dass Sabha had taken out a peaceful protest march in the city here yesterday to protest the death of Dera Sachkhand leader Sant Rama Nand, who was killed in Vienna.

Railway authorities are in touch with Punjab government and are waiting for the situation to normalise so that passengers can resume their onward journey.