Angry Indians set train on fire

Three carriages of the train were set on fire

Angry protesters in northern India set fire to a train and a railway station in protest at a move not to stop at remote stations, railway police say.

About 200 protesters attacked Khusrupur station in Bihar, It is not clear if anyone was injured.

Local television channels showed flames and smoke billowing out of the burning train and stick-wielding protesters standing nearby.

New Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said the protests were "unfortunate".

She said she was unaware of where the order not to stop at certain stations had come from. Ms Banerjee said an inquiry would be held to establish who was behind the order.

'Berserk'

About 200 protesters set three coaches of the train on fire, tore up tracks and ransacked the railway station at Khusrupur, some 30km (18 miles) east of the Bihar capital, Patna.

Residents are said to have been incensed after watching the Patna-Calcutta train speed by without stopping.

"That train did not stop there, so they went berserk and attacked the Dhanapur intercity express," senior railway police officer Rajender Singh told the Associated Press.

Railway officials said dozens of trains had been delayed following the protest.

A senior railway official said the decision not to stop at some stations had now been cancelled.

Earlier, the railways announced a new schedule under which long-distance trains were to skip stops at 33 smaller loss-making stations.

The new schedule was announced after the appointment of the new railway minister following the recent general elections.

Former railway minister Laloo Yadav is from Bihar and railway officials say he had many major trains halting at dozens of smaller stations during his tenure.

Railway ministers in India often reward their constituencies by launching new trains or halting existing trains at existing stations in their area.

State-owned Indian railways is an immense network connecting every corner of the vast country. More than 6 billion people travel by train in India every year.