Buxar: Around 300 protesters led by the Congress and the Dalit Ati-Pichhda Swabhiman Sangharsh Morcha blocked railway tracks in Buxar for about 25 minutes on Friday, disrupting train services and intensifying the agitation for the reopening of the closed Buxar-Itadhi railway crossing.The protesters, carrying the national flag, squatted on the tracks near the Buxar-Itadhi railway crossing on the Danapur-Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya rail section, delaying the Magadh Express, a passenger train and the Guwahati-Jammu Tawi Express.Railway traffic inspector Vindhyachal Pandey said three trains were delayed due to the blockade. “The tracks have been cleared and normal train operations have resumed,” he said.Buxar SDPO Gaurav said police and Railway Protection Force personnel reached the spot and persuaded the protesters to vacate the tracks. “Rail operations were not disrupted for a prolonged period,” he said. Several protesters were detained after the blockade ended.Congress district president Pankaj Upadhyay said the agitation would continue until the crossing was reopened. “We will continue to protest against this deaf and dumb govt until people’s grievances are addressed,” he said.The protesters alleged that residents had been facing hardship since the crossing was permanently closed after the Buxar railway overbridge became operational. They said the situation worsened after a section of the Rs 26 crore overbridge collapsed on June 5, just 10 days after its inauguration, forcing commuters to take a longer route via Pandey Patti. Local businesses have also been affected.The protest was led by Saroj Rajbhar, district convener of the Dalit Ati-Pichhda Swabhiman Sangharsh Morcha, with Congress workers extending support.Several public representatives, including RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, BJP MLA Anand Mishra and Upadhyay, have urged the railway authorities and district administration to reopen the crossing, but no action has followed.An indefinite sit-in over the issue has been underway under Rajbhar’s leadership. An earlier attempt to block the tracks on July 18 was stopped by RPF personnel. With official assurances yielding no result, the Congress joined the agitation. Train services resumed after the tracks were cleared.
