THE GREATER Cooch Behar People’s Association (GCPA) on Tuesday called off its four-day ‘rail roko’ agitation demanding union territory status or C category statehood for Cooch Behar district, even as one more passenger aboard a delayed train died while protesters clashed with the police, leaving at least eight people from either side injured. GCPA chief Bangshi Badan Barman said the rail blockade was lifted after the police arrested their activists late Tuesday afternoon. Superintendent of Railway Police (Siliguri) E Annappa confirmed this. “We have arrested 14 people including two central committee members of GCPA. The tracks have been cleared.” [related-post] The GCPA had held a meeting with Cooch Behar District Magistrate P Ulaganathan Monday night but no breakthrough was achieved. Later, Ulaganathan arrived at the protest site Tuesday and asked protesters to vacate the spot. When they refused to do so, the police surrounded the agitators while trying to disperse the crowd and were allegedly attacked. The police responded by firing tear gas shells. The resultant clashes saw at least 16 people, including eight police personnel, getting injured. The police operation ended with the arrests. Soon after, Barman announced the lifting of the blockade. Meanwhile, the dead passenger has been identified as Rubina Khatun, 56, who suffered a cardiac arrest on the train.
