New Delhi: Union minister Suresh Angadi on Tuesday said that those destroying public property while protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act should be “shot at sight”.Speaking to news agency ANI, Angadi, the Minister of State for Railways stressed that this was a “directive” from his office.“I have told the district administration and railway authorities concerned that if anybody destroys public property, they can be shot at sight. I am giving this directive as a Union minister,” he said.Also read: As BJP Plays With Fire, Campus Crackdown Gives Divided India Cause to Fight ForNDTV has reported that the minister likened such action to what Vallabhbhai Patel would have done and urged the government to be strict against demonstrators.“As many as 13 lakh employees work there day and night to ensure the development and cleanliness of railway infrastructure. But some anti-social elements supported by the opposition are are creating problems in the country,” he was quoted as having said.Road and rail blockades continued in parts of West Bengal on Tuesday, though no major incidents of violence were reported. Fires at railway stations and demonstrations on rail lines have been seen across north Bengal.Railway officials said all trains from Northeast and north Bengal to Kolkata have been cancelled owing to the protests.Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday, however, alleged that the cancellation of trains was a conspiracy by the Centre.
