Police rain blows after pleas to clear tracks go unheeded

Thousands of Central Railway commuters, especially officegoers, were left stranded on Tuesday when the Badlapur residents staged a rail blockade, while protesting the alleged sexual assault on two pre-school girls.

- Kamal Mishra

The 'rail roko' agitation was a part of 'Badlapur bandh' organised by local residents and political groups, with the support of auto-rickshaw unions and school bus operators.

Consequently, suburban services between Badlapur, Karjat and Khopoli were severely disrupted, while long-distance trains were also impacted. "The protest brought train operations between Badlapur and Karjat and Khopoli to a halt for nearly 10 hours," said an official.