Hindus burn train in UP
Reuters, Lucknow
Three coaches of a train were set ablaze in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday by right-wing Hindus demanding the release of their leader, but no one was hurt as the few passengers on board jumped to safety, officials said. The attack, in Mohammadabad town, 350 km east of Lucknow, the state capital, comes in the wake of Hindu-Muslim clashes in the nearby district of Gorakhpur where two people were killed earlier this week. A senior railway official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters a group of people chanting pro-Hindu slogans burnt the coaches of a train travelling from Mumbai to Gorakhpur. "The train was stopped and passengers jumped out of the affected coaches," he said. "Two coaches were completely gutted." Most passengers had disembarked at earlier stations. A police official said the attackers were members of the right-wing group, Hindu Vahini, demanding the release of their leader, saffron-clad ascetic-turned-lawmaker Yogi Adityanath.
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