Amid the ongoing investigation into an attempted sabotage that led to the derailment of 20 coaches of the Sabarmati Express near Govindpuri station in Kanpur on August 17, another alarming case of a potential train derailment has emerged from Rajasthan's Pali district.
According to available information, the incident occurred on the night of August 23, when the Jodhpur-bound Vande Bharat train struck a cement block deliberately placed on the railway track near Pali district. Although a major accident was narrowly avoided, the cement block caused damage to the Vande Bharat train, endangering the lives of around 375 passengers who were on board at the time.
Significantly, the train was halted briefly after the collision, but it continued to its destination after the driver and guard inspected the engine and train and confirmed it was functioning normally.
Case registered
While no serious injuries were reported, the authorities however took the incident seriously and registered a case against an unknown person. Sumerpur police station SHO Bharat Singh Rawat stated that a report was submitted on August 24 by Senior Section Engineer Falna Pawan Kumar, which indicated that an unidentified individual had placed a concrete block on the down line with the intent to cause an accident, potentially resulting in loss of life and damage to railway property.
It further stated, on August 23, the station master of Jawai Dam railway station reported that an unknown person had placed a cement block between Jawai Dam-Biroliya (OHI Most 513/10-8). The Vande Bharat train passing through the junction immediately collided with it, causing damage to the train's rail guard. Upon investigation, a cement block was found on the tracks.
Railway CPRO's statement
Further, the Railway CPRO confirmed that the train's rail guard was damaged due to the collision with the cement block. The train was delayed by about 7 minutes. The CPRO emphasized that the cement block was deliberately placed on the track to cause an accident.
(With inputs from Anamika)
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