A number of vehicles were set on fire and two senior police officers, one of them an SP were injured in the stone pelting and violence that erupted around Bali. BJP MLA Ramesh Tawadkar, a tribal, was also injured in the clash between agitators and locals.
Members of the United Tribal Association Alliance spearheading the protest parked themselves on the railway line at Bali, forcing the shutdown of rail traffic. A portion of the tracks were also damaged.
Konkan Railways spokesman Baban Gadge said at least five trains were affected, including the Rajdhani on its way to Delhi and the one to Trivandrum which was halted at Margao station.
“We managed to restore the tracks by 4 pm, but no trains will leave from Margao till the government gives us a green signal from the security point of view,” he said.
Published 25 May 2011, 17:35 IST