India
LPG cylinder, Molotov cocktail found near railway tracks, FIR filed in sabotage attempt to derail Kalindi Express in Kanpur | India News – Times of India
KANPUR/LUCKNOW: The Shivrajpur police of Kanpur Nagar district has filed an FIR for an alleged attempt to derail and blow up the Bhiwani train Kalindi Express (14117). The locomotive of the train had hit an LPG-filled gas cylinder placed on the track between Barrajpur and Utripura on the Kanpur-Kasganj route on Sunday evening. A ‘petrol bomb’ (Molotov cocktail) was also found beside the track.
Based on a written complaint by the railway staff on Monday, the police filed a case under Sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or flammable substances), 125 (any person who does an act so recklessly or negligently as to endanger human life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and under relevant sections of the Explosives Act and the Railways Act.
Six teams have been formed to investigate the case and 12 suspects have been detained for questioning.
Scene suggests possible sabotage attempt: FIR
The gas cylinder and the Molotov cocktail — a mixture of flammable liquid with a fabric fuse — would have served as a detonator to cause a possible explosion and fire once the detonation was accomplished, investigators said.
According to the FIR filed by Ramesh ChandraJunior Engineer of North Eastern Railway, “On Sunday at 8:37 pm, loco pilots of Kalindi Express informed the railway control room that the locomotive of the train had hit a gas cylinder. Following this, at 9:10 pm, railway staff reached the spot and inspected the area around the track. The staff found a glass bottle filled with petrol with a fuse beside the track and a white bag.”
“There were drag marks of the gas cylinder lying on the right side of the track. The scene suggested a possible sabotage attempt to derail the train by an unknown person,” the FIR said.
According to the railway authorities, the passenger from Kasganj to Kanpur Anwarganj (15038) had left Barrajpur station ahead of the Kalindi Express at 5:18 pm.
On Monday, Inspector General of ATS Neelabja Chaudhary and his team of experts inspected the track between Barrajpur and Utripura.
Chaudhary said: “The forensic team is investigating the case from different angles.”
Additional Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Kanpur, Harish Chander confirmed to TOI that there was gas in the LPG cylinder. “It could have been fatal if it had gone off,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ajay Kumar, ACP (Kanpur), said more than a dozen suspects have been arrested and CCTV cameras are being scanned.
“At the incident site, rubber pads (used to create grip between the concrete slipper and the metal rails) and pandrol clips (used to secure the rails with concrete sleepers) were also found lying near the rails. We are investigating this and other angles as well,” an official said.
This was the third incident in the region where an attempt at sabotage was made by placing obstacles on an active track.
Earlier, on August 17, a 22-year-old coach Sabarmati Expressoriginating from Varanasi and bound for Ahmedabad, derailed near Kanpur after the locomotive collided with a metre-long, old, rusty piece of track.
Similarly, two men, including the son of a farmer leader in Farrukhabad, were arrested for attempting to derail the Kasganj-Farrukhabad passenger train (05389) by placing a wooden log on the Kanpur-Kasganj route between Bhatasa and Shamshabad railway stations on August 24.
Based on a written complaint by the railway staff on Monday, the police filed a case under Sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or flammable substances), 125 (any person who does an act so recklessly or negligently as to endanger human life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and under relevant sections of the Explosives Act and the Railways Act.
Six teams have been formed to investigate the case and 12 suspects have been detained for questioning.
Scene suggests possible sabotage attempt: FIR
The gas cylinder and the Molotov cocktail — a mixture of flammable liquid with a fabric fuse — would have served as a detonator to cause a possible explosion and fire once the detonation was accomplished, investigators said.
According to the FIR filed by Ramesh ChandraJunior Engineer of North Eastern Railway, “On Sunday at 8:37 pm, loco pilots of Kalindi Express informed the railway control room that the locomotive of the train had hit a gas cylinder. Following this, at 9:10 pm, railway staff reached the spot and inspected the area around the track. The staff found a glass bottle filled with petrol with a fuse beside the track and a white bag.”
“There were drag marks of the gas cylinder lying on the right side of the track. The scene suggested a possible sabotage attempt to derail the train by an unknown person,” the FIR said.
According to the railway authorities, the passenger from Kasganj to Kanpur Anwarganj (15038) had left Barrajpur station ahead of the Kalindi Express at 5:18 pm.
On Monday, Inspector General of ATS Neelabja Chaudhary and his team of experts inspected the track between Barrajpur and Utripura.
Chaudhary said: “The forensic team is investigating the case from different angles.”
Additional Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Kanpur, Harish Chander confirmed to TOI that there was gas in the LPG cylinder. “It could have been fatal if it had gone off,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ajay Kumar, ACP (Kanpur), said more than a dozen suspects have been arrested and CCTV cameras are being scanned.
“At the incident site, rubber pads (used to create grip between the concrete slipper and the metal rails) and pandrol clips (used to secure the rails with concrete sleepers) were also found lying near the rails. We are investigating this and other angles as well,” an official said.
This was the third incident in the region where an attempt at sabotage was made by placing obstacles on an active track.
Earlier, on August 17, a 22-year-old coach Sabarmati Expressoriginating from Varanasi and bound for Ahmedabad, derailed near Kanpur after the locomotive collided with a metre-long, old, rusty piece of track.
Similarly, two men, including the son of a farmer leader in Farrukhabad, were arrested for attempting to derail the Kasganj-Farrukhabad passenger train (05389) by placing a wooden log on the Kanpur-Kasganj route between Bhatasa and Shamshabad railway stations on August 24.
