Eastern Railway claims it suffered loss of Rs 84 crore in violence related to anti-CAA, NRC protests in West Bengal

Kolkata: The Railways claimed to have suffered losses of properties worth Rs 84 crore in violence related to protests against CAA and NRC in West Bengal from 13 to 15 December, according to reports filed by it before the Calcutta High Court. [caption id=“attachment_7781831” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Protestors block a railway track at Uluberia Station during their agitation on NRC and CAB issue at Uluberia Station in Howrah district of West Bengal. PTI[/caption] The Eastern Railway said in an affidavit before a division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice A Banerjee on Friday that it suffered the brunt of the protests with losses amounting to Rs 72.2 crore, with the maximum being in the Sealdah division, which suffered damages worth Rs 46 crore. The Malda division of ER suffered losses worth nearly Rs 24.5 crore, while the Howrah division’s losses were more than Rs one crore, it said in an affidavit before the court on Friday in connection with a PIL seeking compensation to people and the railways for losses suffered in violence during the anti-CAA and anti-NRC protests. The South Eastern Railway, in a separate affidavit, said that it suffered losses to its properties worth Rs 12.75 crore, including trains, stations, and tracks. The matter will be taken up for hearing again four weeks hence, the court directed.