Rishra unrest for second night: 36 arrested, train services resume

On Monday night, violence erupted again in West Bengal's Rishra resulting in the arrest of 36 miscreants by the police. The unrest follows a similar incident that took place the previous day.

Reports indicate that a police van was set on fire at Rail Gate No. 4 in Risda, close to the police station. Passengers on the Howrah-Kathgodam and Howrah-Bandel local trains were frightened by the sound of the bomb, while bricks, stones, and glass bottles were hurled towards the police from the opposite side of the railway gate.

The situation continued to escalate for most of the night, causing disruptions to train services, but things returned to normal by morning. The police intervened to bring the situation under control, using tear gas and lathi-charge to disperse the crowd, while firefighters worked to put out the blaze that had engulfed the police van. The police also searched the area with the aid of searchlights and made several arrests, while a significant number of policemen were injured during the clashes.

According to eyewitness accounts, the sound of bombs was heard throughout the night, indicating that the situation was far from being resolved. Train services on the Howrah-Bandel main branch were halted for three hours on Monday night, causing panic in the area surrounding Railway Gate No. 4 near Risda Railway Station. However, a joint operation involving the Chandannagar Commissionerate, Hooghly Rural Police, and Railway Police brought the situation under control, and the area has been peaceful since Tuesday morning.

Heavy police patrols remain in place, with officers from Chandan Nagar Commissionerate, Hooghly Rural Police, Howrah Police, and even a team from Barrackpore Commissionerate present in the area. Eastern Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer, Kaushik Mitra, confirmed that train services on the Howrah-Bandel and Howrah-Burdwan routes have resumed after the disruption caused by stone pelting in Risda, which had lasted from 10:06 pm on Monday night until 01:07 am the following morning.