Activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) entered the compound of the Divisional Railway Manager’s office in Palakkad on Monday while protesting against the proposed bifurcation of the Palakkad Railway Division. The protesters were also opposing the shifting of several stations, including Mangaluru, to the Mysuru division. The protest escalated after police and Railway Protection Force personnel stopped the marchers at the main entrance, prompting some activists to climb over the compound wall and enter the office premises.

The DYFI march reached the DRM office at around 8 am, according to police officials. Security personnel initially prevented the protesters from entering the compound, but some activists managed to scale the wall and reach the main entrance of the office building. Officials said more protesters subsequently pushed through the police blockade at the gate and entered the premises. DYFI members, including women activists, later staged a sit-in outside the building and raised slogans opposing the proposed changes to the railway division.

Additional police and Railway Protection Force personnel were deployed at the location as the protesters gathered near the entrance. Security forces prevented the demonstrators from proceeding inside the DRM office building. The protest remained focused on the Railway Board’s decision to reorganise the existing railway jurisdiction and transfer stations from the Palakkad division to Mysuru. The development has intensified opposition to the proposed restructuring in several parts of Kerala.

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The Railway Board’s decision has triggered a wider political dispute in the state, with parties raising concerns about its possible impact on railway administration, revenue and infrastructure development. Those opposing the bifurcation have argued that the Palakkad division could lose significant revenue because of the proposed transfer of areas linked to Mangaluru and its port-related goods movement. They have also questioned whether the changes could affect the division’s long-term financial strength and its ability to support railway projects.

The issue has also drawn responses from political parties across the state. While DYFI organised Monday’s protest in Palakkad, the Youth Congress has announced a separate demonstration in the city. Congress MPs have also said they will stage a hunger strike in front of the divisional railway office on Onam day to oppose the restructuring. BJP leaders in Kerala, meanwhile, have defended the Railway Board’s decision and maintained that the changes would not adversely affect railway development in the state.

The protest at the Palakkad DRM office is part of a growing political campaign against the proposed railway division changes. With youth organisations and political parties planning further demonstrations, the issue is expected to remain a major point of contention in Kerala. The dispute centres on questions of revenue, station jurisdiction, freight movement and the future administrative structure of railway operations in the region, particularly the implications of moving Mangaluru and other stations from the Palakkad division to Mysuru.

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