Hyderabad: Witness recounts horrifying scenes

Hyderabad: A train was set on fire at the Secunderabad railway station on Friday. The disruption began at 9 am.

Horrifying scenes were witnessed at the station where mobs were seen vandalising. They damaged CCTV cameras and stalls on platforms and set on fire wooden shelves. Some trouble-makers were seen armed with hammers and sticks.

According to Suman, an AC power car mechanic, there were around 5,000 people at the station; around 40 of them entered the train he was in.

He said they tried setting fire to the coach. They desperately tried to set ablaze the power car but were prevented from doing so. The passengers' belongings were left behind and broken.

"Two gates were open, so we let the passengers go from one side. We told them, that the Railway Protection Force will keep them safe. We took the passengers out from here," he said.

"Elderly people were also terrified. Some left behind suitcases, spectacles, Aadhaar cards, and half-eaten packets of mixture strewn around inside the train," he added. The railways diverted trains.

The East Coast Express, Rajkot Express and Ajanta Express were set on fire by violent mobs. As many as 71 trains--65 from Hyderabad Multi-Modal Transport System and many express trains--have been cancelled following the violence.