Over 250 Trains Cancelled as CJP Protest Against CEC Disrupts Delhi Travel

The Railway Board has cancelled more than 250 trains connecting New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations with destinations across the country, ahead of a protest planned by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on October 10. The protest demands the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a constitutional authority responsible for overseeing elections in the country.

The cancellations cover passenger trains scheduled to depart from their originating stations after 2 pm on October 9, as well as those scheduled to arrive at New Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10. Trains departing from these two stations for their respective destinations, along with local trains, have also been cancelled, taking the total number of cancellations to over 250.

The move has drawn sharp criticism from railway experts, passenger bodies, and recognised federations, who have described it as "unprecedented", "unfortunate", and "anti-passenger". They argue that the large-scale cancellations have caused immense inconvenience to thousands of passengers, many of whom may be travelling for urgent medical reasons, work, or family gatherings.

Subodh Jain, former Member (Engineering) of the Railway Board, said, "The decision to cancel so many trains amounts to surrendering to the protesters. It is very unfortunate." He noted that while there had been instances of one or two trains being cancelled due to agitations in the past, never have so many been cancelled at once.

Shiv Gopal Mishra, general secretary of the All India Railwaymen's Federation (AIRF), condemned the move, telling PTI, "So far as I remember, it has never happened in the history of Indian Railways that so many trains were cancelled just because of a protest or agitation in any part of the country. I condemn this unfortunate and anti-passenger move." He pointed out that the abrupt cancellations had caused huge inconvenience to thousands of passengers, and that only during the COVID-19 pandemic had train operations been stopped on such a scale due to the lockdown.

Passenger associations from different parts of the country also highlighted the plight of travellers. Basant Kumar Shukla, secretary of the Nagpur-based passenger group Bhartiya Yatri Kendra, said, "Many passengers book tickets 60 days in advance. They wait for their journeys, many of which are urgent, and all of a sudden, trains are cancelled without any valid explanation. If the government wanted to stop protesters from coming to Delhi, it could have adopted several other measures rather than harassing passengers." He demanded that the Railways make special arrangements for affected passengers or give them priority in ticket bookings for alternative dates.

M Jameel Ahamed, chairman of the Coimbatore District Railway Passengers' Welfare Association, called the decision a "knee-jerk reaction, taken without considering its adverse impact on passengers' interests." He added that such a move was unexpected from a national transporter and that the large number of affected passengers could continue to affect reservation availability for several days.

Some experts suggested that if the Railway Board was genuinely concerned about traffic chaos, it could have terminated the affected trains at stations closest to New Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin. This would have allowed passengers travelling for urgent reasons to make alternative arrangements from those stations.

A retired railway official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "There is no rationale behind these cancellations. The only aim of the Railway Board was to stop protesters from coming to Delhi. Trains are operating from Delhi to other destinations without any traffic-related issues, but passengers travelling from other stations cannot reach Delhi. This is a strange logic."

The Railway Board has not issued a detailed statement explaining the cancellations or responding to the criticism. The protest by the CJP is scheduled to take place in Delhi on October 10, and it remains to be seen how the situation develops.