Protests in UP, Bihar, Railways puts recruitment drive on hold

AMID VIOLENT protests for the third day in Bihar, where four empty coaches of a stationary train were set on fire in Gaya, and intelligence inputs that protesters were being mobilised via social media in other states too, the Ministry of Railways on Wednesday decided to put its recruitment drives on hold.

Reaching out to protesters, the Railways announced a high-level committee, headed by Deepak Peter Gabriel, principal executive director of industrial relations in the ministry, to engage with them. However, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasised that the ministry’s “employment notification has legal sanctity”. “So for those who have grievances, we will have to find a solution and deal with the matter with sensitivity,” he said.