Balasore train accident: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against three arrested railway officials for alleged culpable homicide not amounting to murder and destruction of evidence in connection with the June 2 Balasore train accident case on Saturday. Earlier in July this year, a special court had sent the three accused railway officials to judicial custody, after the end of their CBI remand period.
The CBI had arrested Senior Section Engineer (Signal) Arun Kumar Mahanta, Section Engineer Mohammed Amir Khan and Technician Pappu Kumar under section 304, 201 of IPC and Section 153 of Railway Act 1989 earlier on July 7 in connection with its probe into the accident involving three trains which left 296 people dead and over 1,200 injured. Later, on July 11, the court had extended the remand period for four more days at the request of the investigating agency.
In its charge sheet filed before Special CBI court in Bhubaneswar, the CBI has charged the accused under Indian Penal Code Section 304 part II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), Section 34 read with 201 (common cause read with destruction of evidence) and 153 of the Railways Act.
The CBI has alleged that the repair work at the level crossing gate number 94 near Bahanaga Bazar station was done by Mahanta using the circuit diagram of LC gate no. 79, the officials said.
The duty of the accused was to ensure that testing, overhauling and carrying out alterations to the existing signal and interlocking installations were in accordance with the approved plan and instructions which he did not do, they said.
The three accused were booked under IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence), and under Section 153 of the Railways Act.
As many as 293 people were killed and over 1,200 injured when the Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary freight train at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, and some of its derailed coaches collided with Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express, on June 2.
(with inputs from PTI)
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