After eight bogies of Lucknow-bound Rajya Rani Express derailed in Moradabad on Saturday, Railways rules out sabotage, UP ATS differs
Eight bogies of Lucknow-bound Rajya Rani Express derailed between Rampur and Mundapanda stations in Moradabad at 8.17 am on Saturday, apparently due to broken track.
Though the Railways ruled out any sabotage or act of terror, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which has been entrusted with the task of probing derailment is baffled by over a metre of uprooted track at the mishap site.
The Meerut-Lucknow 22454 was at a bridge over river Kosi, about 4 kms from Rampur and about 20 kms from Moradabad in Western UP, when the derailment happened. According to the police and Railways, 12 persons were injured, three of them critically. Eye-witness, however, claim that over 60 passengers sustained injuries.
UP Chief Minister Adityanath announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 to seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for other injured passengers. He also rushed his Cabinet colleague Baldev Aulkah to the spot to supervise relief work and ensure that injured were given proper treatment at Rampur and Moradabad hospitals.
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted to institute an inquiry and rushed NDRF and Railways’ officers to the spot, one of the busiest rail route in the sector. After visiting the spot, a senior railway officer told DNA that the derailment was due to cracks on welded track.
“The welding joining two tracks seems to have chipped out, breaking the track and resulting in derailment,” said the officer. The UP ATS, which also rushed a team, however, refused to believe the theory as over a metre of track was found uprooted at the spot.
“If the track’s welding had chip-ped off then how come over a metre track was found broken?” questions a senior ATS officer adding that they will “look into all aspects”.
A similar incident of broken track was reported from Agra two months earlier. One of the gangmen had seen the broken track and timely action by Railways had saved any derailment there. During the course of the inquiry, a few recent derailment incidents between Kanpur and Jhansi were suspected to be terror acts after the UP ATS arrested a few terrorists belonging to different modules.
The UP ATS has found two unidentified clamps a few metres away from the derailment spot and will send it for forensic examination. The ATS team is also seeking information from Railways’ engineering wing about the process of welding two tracks instead of adopting century-old nut and bolt system which is used world over.
IN the past YEAR...
March 30, 2017: Eight coaches of the Jabalpur-Nizamuddin Mahakaushal Express derails in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh. Death: 0, Injured: 52
January 21, 2017: Engine, 9 coaches of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express derails in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh. Death: 39 Injured 69
December 28, 2016: Ajmer-Sealdah Express derails near Kanpur due to rail fracture.
Death: 0 Injured 62
November 20, 2016: 14 coaches of Indore-Patna Express derails at Puhrayan, near Kanpur UP. Death: 150, Injured 200
August 28, 2016: 12 coaches of Tvm-Mangalore express derails near Karukutty station, near Kochi, Kerala. Death 0, Injured 0
—Compiled by DNA-Research N Archives
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 "Rajya Rani Express")
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