Sunday’s protest at Vijaya Nagar station has left passengers furious

In a span of two months, Namma Metro stations have been vandalised two times by protesters leading to damage to the city’s biggest public transport infrastructure project. While physical damages can be repaired, the financial harm as well as the risk to passengers’ safety has officials worried and passengers angry.

What protestors tend to ignore is that barging into a station and trying to stop trains by sitting on the electrically charged track not only puts protestors at risk, but can result in possible injuries to passengers as well. According to estimates, around 15,000 passengers were travelling across the network on Sunday at 10 a.m. when the protest took place at Vijaya Nagar station.

“If the power to the third rail is cut, as it had to be on Sunday, other trains will also be affected. Passengers will have to be evacuated. There is risk of injury during such emergencies as the situation is not in our control,” a senior official said.

Services were disrupted in April as well when a massive protest by garment workers had forced BMRCL to down shutters at Jalahalli station that affected services between Nagasandra and Yeshwantpur. Each time services are disrupted, the entire line is affected leading to disruptions across the metro network, said a senior official.

The protests have left passengers furious.

“They are welcome to protest as much as they want on the streets, let them not enter metro stations and put the lives of passengers in danger. What were they thinking when they tried to sit on electrified tracks? Thankfully, this was not a weekday. Else, thousands of passengers would be stuck,” said Ramesh B.N., a resident of Vijaya Nagar.

The metro project, a joint venture between the State and central governments, has provisions for strict punishment for demonstrators who enter metro premises. If enforced, this could be a deterrent for future protesters eyeing the city’s newest public transport system, a metro official said.

Police register suo motu case

Vijaya Nagar police on Monday said that they had registered a case against unknown persons and are trying to track down the protesters who barged into the Vijaya Nagar station on Sunday and damaged property. Officials said that they are using CCTV footage on the premises to track down the culprits.