On June 27, residents of Chirang district organized a protest to urge the revival of passenger train services at the Basugaon railway station, which have been halted since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The demonstration was spearheaded by the Assam branch of the Shiv Sena party, alongside the All BTC E-Rickshaw Union and various local groups.

Protesters marched to the Basugaon railway station, chanting slogans like “Fulfil our demands!” and “We want rail services!”

In an interview, Shibu Chanda, a leader from the Assam Shiv Sena, pointed out that several important passenger trains that used to stop at Basugaon were suspended during the pandemic and have not yet resumed service.

He mentioned that the Dhubri-Kamakhya intercity, Cooch Behar-Kamakhya intercity, and the Kanchenjungha Express ceased to halt at Basugaon during the pandemic, and those stoppages remain unaddressed.

Chanda also emphasized the need for the Brahmaputra Mail to resume its halt at Basugaon, a request that has been consistently overlooked by officials.

The community is also calling for all express and mail trains to stop in Kokrajhar, as well as the Dhubri-Kamakhya Intercity train at Salakati, Alipur-Lumding Intercity train at Chautara, and Siphoong Passenger trains at Chautara, Gosaigaon, and Srirampur.

They warned that if their demands are not met by August 26, they will escalate their protests.

One protester stated, “This is not our first demonstration for the restoration of these train services. If our requests are ignored by August 26, we will organize a larger protest at the Alipur Division Office.”

Earlier in the week, a similar protest took place at Mahishasan railway station in Sribhumi district, close to the Indo-Bangladesh border, where locals demanded the resumption of regular rail services to Silchar, which have also been suspended since the pandemic.

Protesters laid down on the railway tracks and surrounded the station master's office, voicing their dissatisfaction over the prolonged issue.