Train services were disrupted after Kurmi members, under the banner of Adivasi Kurmi Samaj (AKS), staged a rail blockade protest in Jharkhand and West Bengal, demanding the inclusion of the community in the Scheduled Tribe (SC) category.
Defying prohibitory orders, thousands of people, led by Mandu MLA Tiwari Mahto, squatted on the track at Charhi railway station in Jharkhand, halting all train movements.
The sudden agitation caught hundreds of long route passengers off guard and left them stranded for hours.
"At least three trains, including Hatia-Barddhaman Memu and Tatanagar-Gua-Tatanagar Memu, have been cancelled, one has been short-terminated and four were controlled," the railways said in a statement.
Ramgarh, Jharkhand: A large number of people from the Kurmi community gathered on railway tracks as part of their Rail Roko protest, demanding the inclusion of the Kurmi community in the ST category pic.twitter.com/JYpd2HEWYm
— IANS (@ians_india) September 20, 2025
Even though the railway authorities deployed additional personnel to manage the crowd, the protesters refused to relent. They raised slogans highlighting years of alleged neglect faced by the community.
The agitators demand ST status for the community, alleging that the Other Backward Classes are not getting the benefits that the STs receive through quotas. They also demand official recognition of Kurmi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Addressing the crowd, Mahto vowed to continue the stir until their demands are met by both the state and the central governments.
"This is a peaceful protest, but it will intensify if our legitimate demands are ignored. The government must act decisively," he said.
The Ranchi administration has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS in a 300-metre radius of various stations falling in the district.
In Jamshedpur, the Railway Protection Force said a few women tried to stage protest but they were whisked away at the gates. It said local trains are passing through the station without any disruptions.
VIDEO | West Bengal: Heavy police presence at Khemasuli Railway Station in view of rail blockade called by the Kurmi community.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 20, 2025
The Kurmi community is demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and inclusion of Kurmali language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.#BengalNews… pic.twitter.com/zGzpYzmuBw
In West Bengal, the protesters, led by state president Rajesh Mahato, plans to conduct rail blockade road blockade protests in Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, and Paschim Medinipur.
