India, May 5 -- The Monday morning rush hour at Virar railway station turned into a scene of intense agitation with around 15-20 commuters staging a "rail roko" protest, sparked by Western Railway's (WR) decision to replace the popular 8:28 am Virar-Churchgate local with an air-conditioned (AC) service, effective May 1.

The protest began shortly before the scheduled departure, when angry passengers descended onto the tracks, blocking the path of the incoming train. Chanting slogans against the railway administration, the protesters halted suburban services for nearly 10-12 minutes, causing a ripple effect of delays in the morning peak hours.

Commuters were seen arguing that the sudden change is forcing middle-class commuters to commute ...