Train services disrupted in Bengal over rail-blockade by Kurmis demanding ST status

Kolkata, April 5 (IANS) Train services were disrupted in pockets of three tribal- dominated districts of West Bengal -- Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore -- following rail-blockade agitation by the Kurmi community on Wednesday.

The Kurmi community is agitating in support of its long-standing demand for recognition under the Schedule Tribe category. Their main grievance is that West Bengal Cultural Research Institute, a state government body that works for indigenous tribes, is yet to recognise the Kurmis as representatives of primitive tribes.

Representatives of the community alleged that the reluctance of the institute or the state government to send a comprehensive report in the matter to the Union government is holding back the process of recognition of the Kurmi community under the Scheduled Tribe category.

On Wednesday morning, the community members resorted to rail- blockades at important junction stations like Adra in Purulia and Khemasuli in West Midnapore, following which the train services in the entire division got disrupted.

Already, a number of trains operating in the division have been cancelled. In certain cases, the routes of certain trains have either been diverted or curtailed.

This is the second day of the agitation by the representatives of the Kurmi community in demand of their recognition as a Scheduled Tribe.

On Tuesday, they resorted to blockades of national highways in different parts of the three tribal-dominated districts.

The last time the Kurmis took to similar protests was in September 2022, when they resorted to rail-blockade agitations in the same tribal-dominated pockets.