November 15, 2003	Saturday	Ramazan 19, 1424

PATNA, Nov 14: At least 50 train passengers were injured in the Indian state of Bihar in attacks by young unemployed men angry about alleged hiring discrimination by state-run railways, an official said on Friday.

A senior official said the mobs had stormed five trains over the past three days to protest alleged discrimination against candidates from Bihar who had applied for jobs with Indian Railways in the neighbouring state of Assam.

“These are retaliatory attacks because some boys from Bihar were apparently not allowed to take the examinations for railway jobs in some neighbouring states,” he said.

“We have told the police to step up security at all the vulnerable railway stations. We have also warned district police heads that they will lose their jobs if they cannot bring the violence under control.”

The five passenger trains that were attacked were all bound for Assam, police said.—AFP