Dera protest derails traffic in Punjab

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 20

Demanding the screening of MSG-2, Dera Sacha Sauda followers continued their protest for the second day today. They blocked traffic on at least five prominent roads, besides disrupting 30 trains in the Malwa region.

The film, featuring dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim, has already been cleared by the censor board. The agitation would continue till the government allowed screening of the film, said dera follower Harinder Sharma.

The state Home Department, however, said there was no ban on the film. “It (the non-screening of the film) may be because of differences between film producers and cinema owners,” a senior officer said.

The trains cancelled due to dera followers’ agitation included 14629 (mail/express train from Ludhiana to Ferozepur), 14614, 14630 (Ferozepur to Ludhiana), 74961, 54051, 74963, 54571, 54645 (passenger trains from Ludhiana to Ferozepur), 54646, 74962, 54572, 54052, 74964 (passenger trains from Ferozepur to Ludhiana), 54561 (Bathinda-Ferozepur passenger train), 74987 (Bathinda-Fazilka passenger train), 54563 (Bathinda-Ferozepur passenger train), 54783 (Ferozepur-Rewari passenger train), 54054 (Ludhiana-Jakhal passenger train), 54046 (Ferozepur-Delhi passenger train), 74988 (Fazilka-Bathinda passenger train), 14602 (Sri Ganganagar-Ferozepur Cantt Express), 14602 (Ferozepur-Sriganganagar), 14732 (Fazilka-Delhi Intercity Express), 54785, 74971, 74973, 74975, 94977 (passenger trains from Ferozepurt to Fazilka) and 74972, 74974, 74976, 74978, 54786 (passenger trains from Fazilka to Ferozepur).

A number of trains were diverted due to the agitation. The Delhi-Ludhiana Shatabdi Express, which was to reach the Sangrur railway station at 11 am, was diverted via Panipat and Ambala. 

(With inputs from Gurdeep Mann, Kulwinder Sandhu, Archit Watts, Mohit Khanna, Sushil Goyal, Gagan Teja, Raj Sadosh and Anirudh Gupta)