Sabotage bid in Maharashtra? Train hits slabs on tracks

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: An alert train engine driver averted a major accident on Monday after he applied emergency brakes on noticing cement blocks and rocks on rail tracks in the district.
In a suspected sabotage attempt, unidentified people had placed large cement slabs and rocks on the railway tracks at Ladgaon Shivar, Karmad, in the early hours of Monday, said a police officer. Nandigram Express — travelling from Aurangabad railway station to Jalna at a speed of about 100 km per hour at the time — did strike some of the slabs and rocks as by the time the driver noticed them, it was too late to prevent an impact. However, the accident would have been much more severe if the driver had not applied the emergency brakes.
On impact, the concrete blocks shattered and pieces got scattered over a 100m stretch. The train's cattle guard was damaged, and it came to a halt over 200m down the track. The accident left even the railway track with partial damage at different places. The incident delayed the express train for over an hour before normalcy resumed.
A complaint was lodged by Bhuvaneshwar Das, the senior section engineer of South Central Railway. He has been overseeing the maintenance of the railway tracks between the kilometre markers 98/0 and 150/0. Das said he received a call from the Nanded railway control around 1am on Monday, informing him of the incident. Das and a team of railway officials, including officers from the Railway Security Force, went to the site. Upon inspection, they found the disintegrated cement slabs, damaged ERC clips, liners, and displaced cable markers. The severity of the damage raised concerns about the potential for disaster had the obstruction not been spotted in time.
Additional superintendent of police Sunil Lanjewar, who was among senior officers to pay a spot visit soon after the incident came to light, said, "The cement slabs placed on the tracks were lying near the railway tracks for quite a while. Efforts are underway to identify the culprits behind this act."
Based on Das's complaint, the Karmad police of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar rural have registered a case under section 52 of the Indian Railway Act, and various sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) including 110, 327, 125, and 289, along with charges under the Damage to Public Property Act. The authorities suspect foul play and believe the act was carried out with the intent to cause harm to passengers and railway property.