Gas cylinder on railway track: A major train accident was averted after the Kalindi Express collided with an LPG cylinder placed on the tracks, late Sunday night, in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, said police on Monday. The police said that an attempt was made to derail the train. Fortunately, no passenger was hurt in the incident.
According to the police, the incident happened when Kalindi Express, heading towards Haryana's Bhiwani from Prayagraj, was running in the Anwarganj-Kasganj rail section in Kanpur's Shivrajpur area. The train hit the cylinder before coming to a halt and as a result, the cylinder moved away from the tracks and a loud noise was heard.
LPG cylinder, bottle of petrol, matchboxes recovered
Near Shivrajpur, the train driver reported that the train had hit an iron object. The train was stopped using emergency brakes, but nothing was found at the initial location. Following the driver's report, a Railway Protection Force (RPF) inspector arrived to investigate. After a thorough search, the team recovered the LPG cylinder, which was full, approximately 200 meters away from the site of the collision.
RPF and Uttar Pradesh Police, while investigating the incident, discovered several suspicious items at the site. According to the RPF, the recovered items include an LPG cylinder, a matchbox, a bottle filled with a petrol-like substance resembling a petrol bomb, a bag, and other sensitive materials.
The train remained at the incident site for approximately 20 minutes before being stopped again at Bilhaur station for further investigation.
FIR registered
Today, the RPF and UP Police will conduct a further investigation of the incident site with the assistance of a dog squad.
The railways are treating this matter with utmost seriousness. The RPF has indicated that a conspiracy cannot be ruled out and has registered an FIR to begin a thorough investigation.
Efforts are underway to identify the culprits responsible for placing the cylinder on the tracks, and they will face stern action once apprehended.
This incident marks the second such occurrence in Uttar Pradesh in recent months. On August 17, at least 22 coaches of the Varanasi-Ahmedabad Sabarmati Express derailed near Kanpur after the engine collided with an ‘object,’ which the loco pilot described as a boulder.
(Input: Anamika Gaur)
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