Patna, August 18
An irate mob comprising mainly students set afire four air-conditioned bogies of New Delhi-Rajgir Shramjeevi Express (2392down) at Bihta railway station (25km away from Patna) on Tuesday.

Two other adjoining bogies of the train were partially damaged before the fire tenders and railway personnel could douse the flames. The stone-pelting mob also engaged in a battle with the security personnel for about an hour before the reinforcements could arrive at the scene and chase them away.

The entire train communication on the main line section under the Danapur division of East Central Railway remained disrupted for about four hours due to the incident.
Reports reaching the state railway police headquarters here said the students were angry over beating up of their mates travelling by the said train by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) jawans.

The RPF personnel reportedly assaulted the students following an altercation over travelling in the AC coach without valid tickets. 
One of the students was seriously injured by the assault. Following which his friends alerted other students in Bihta by sending SMS on their mobile sets. As the train reached Bihta station, a mob of around 100 persons, mostly students, attacked the AC coach in which some of the students had been detained by the RPF jawans. After freeing their friends, they started pelting stones at the RPF personnel on escort duty and subsequently torched four AC bogies.

The railway authorities of the Danapur division have ordered a probe into the incident. Meanwhile, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Shramajeevi Express incident was not the handiwork of students. “They are not students as reported,” Banerjee said on the torching of four AC bogies of the train.