Balasore Train Accident: CBI Makes First Arrests, 3 Railway Staff Taken Into Custody

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday took into custody three railway personnel in reference to the June 2 Balasore practice accident, making its first arrests within the case. The central company arrested Senior Section Engineer (sign) Arun Kumar Mahanta, Section Engineer Mohammed Amir Khan and Technician Pappu Kumar, all posted in Balasore district in Odisha. 

The three have been arrested below IPC sections 304 (culpable murder not amounting to homicide) and 201 (destruction of proof), the officers stated.

The CBI in its investigation discovered that the accused railway staff have been additionally concerned within the tampering of proof. The arrested accused might be introduced within the competent court docket and CBI will demand custody.

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The Railway Board had additionally advisable a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the accident following which on June 6, the CBI took over the investigation.

The CBI has already registered a First Information Report (FIR) on this matter. The company obtained concerned within the case after allegations of tampering with the digital interlocking system have been made after the accident.

The accident, one of many deadliest practice accidents in India’s historical past, concerned the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express from Shalimar, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a stationary items practice. The accident occurred close to the Bahanaga Bazar railway station on June 2, claiming 291 lives and injured over 1000.

A high-level inquiry into the tragedy by the Commissioner of Railways Safety (CRS) discovered “wrong signalling” to be the principle motive for the accident and dismissed earlier experiences of sabotage or a technical glitch.

The CRS, which comes below the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is the federal government physique that appears into railway security and investigates incidents. The inquiry panel additionally flagged “lapses at multiple levels” within the signalling and telecommunication (S&T) division. The report additionally stated the tragedy might have been averted if previous pink flags have been reported.

The report additional stated the station supervisor of Bahanaga Bazar ought to have reported the “repeated unusual behaviour” of switches connecting two parallel tracks to the S&T division, following which remedial motion might have been taken.

The CRS report additionally prompt that the non-supply of a station-specific accredited circuit diagram for the works to switch the electrical lifting barrier at a stage crossing gate 94 at Bahanaga Bazar station was a “wrong step that led to wrong wiring”, PTI reported.

The inquiry report additionally urged the Railways to evaluate the system of catastrophe response within the zonal railways, saying the preliminary response to such a tragedy needs to be sooner.