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NEW DELHI: Indian Railways will recover at least Rs 80 crore from violent protesters who vandalised its properties during protests across the country against the amended citizenship law.

“There has been damage of railway property worth Rs 80 crore during anti-CAA protests. Of this, the Eastern Railway suffered maximum damage worth Rs 70 crore and the damage suffered by the Northeast Frontier Railway was worth Rs 10 crore. The damage will be recovered from those found involved in arson and violence. This, however, is a preliminary estimate and the figure could go up after the final analysis,” railway board chairman V K Yadav said on Monday.

Yadav’s announcement came barely days after Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Aadityanath announced that action would be taken against violent CAA protesters and they would be made to pay for the loss to public properties.

The UP government has already recovered some of the losses after slapping notices on identified protesters. Only in Bulandshahr, members of the Muslim community had handed over a demand draft of Rs 6.27 lakh to the district administration.

While talking to reporters on Monday, Yadav said the Railway Protection Force was identifying the miscreants. “Law and order is a state subject and they are working on it. Recoveries will be made,” Yadav said while adding that they expect cooperation from the state governments on this issue.

Moreover, the railways can also approach the court to recover the cost of damage. RPF has filed 85 FIRs for the violent incidents. While maximum damage to railway properties have been reported from West Bengal , railway properties were also vandalised in Assam .

