Mumbai:
In an attempt to hog credit for the newly launched Mumbai-Sawantwadi train, Shiv Sena and Swabhiman sangathan activists created a volatile situation at Dadar station. Hundreds of workers from both organisations pelted stones at each other at the station around 12 am in which three police officials and a few media persons were also injured.
The inauguration of the train happened twice as Narayan Rane reached Dadar station at 12.30 am with his sons Nilesh and Nitesh. Swabhiman activists went on to the railway tracks and stopped the train before it could reach the station around 1.15 am and fixed flags of their party to claim their credit.
Shiv Sena activists who were at the other end of the station, however, again inaugurated the train by uprooting the flags soon after it reached the station. They also vandalised a few vehicles of the Congress party and the police was unable to stop them, said an eyewitness.
"We have started the train and I don't know why Sena is here. I am a representative of Konkan and Congress started the train," said Narayan Rane, state revenue minister.
The passengers had to suffer owing to the mess in which many were even unable to board the train. A passenger Ravi Sawant reached the station on time with his family but the activists did not allow them to reach till the train.
"I was going to celebrate Ganesh Utsav in my village. I reached the station at 12 am but there was too much crowd. The train stopped only for three to four minutes, so we were unable to board the train. I don't know who to blame now, the politicians or the railway authorities," said Sawant. Over 300 policemen from different departments were deployed at the station.
The train was supposed to leave Mumbai at 12.45 am but it arrived at Dadar station at 1.15 am with police officials already in it for security reasons.
No case was registered against any political party till 4 am. When contacted, DCP (Zone IV) Sanjay Bhaviskar refused to comment on the matter.