Another cylinder found on rail track in Kanpur district; sixth incident in last two months in UP

LUCKNOW/KANPUR: WWithin a fortnight, miscreants once again allegedly placed an LPG gas cylinder on a rail track in Kanpur district, in a nefarious attempt to sabotage railway operations.
The empty 5-litre gas cylinder was discovered on a loopline at Prempur railway station, an intermediate station between Kanpur Central and Fatehpur in the North Central Railway (NCR) zone.In addition to the cylinder, local police recovered two empty beer cans and a snack wrapper from the scene.
According to an official statement issued by NCR, "At approximately 5:50 am, loco-pilots Dev Anand Gupta and C B Singh of the Jorhat bound freight train, spotted an empty cylinder placed on the rail track ahead of the signal. The crew promptly applied emergency brakes to avert a potential catastrophe."

After a thorough examination of the empty cylinder, it was removed from the track by police, and the freight train was permitted to resume its journey.
"The cylinder was placed a mere 30 meters away from the signal. Such cylinders are commonly used by students residing in hostels, labourers working at construction sites, and individuals living in slums along the railway track. Kanpur civil police, RPF, and GRP are diligently investigating the incident," stated SHO Om Narayan Singh of Kanpur Central GRP.
Meanwhile, Kanpur police commissioner Akhil Kumar asserted, "Although the probability of derailment was minuscule, as the momentum of the moving train would have likely propelled the cylinder away, the deliberate placement of the gas cylinder on the track, irrespective of the perpetrator, undoubtedly indicates a motive of sabotage."
Earlier on the night of September 8, an attempt was made to derail and blast the Bhiwani-bound Kalindi Express (14117) in Kanpur Nagar district.
The locomotive of the train had collided with an LPG filled gas cylinder placed on the rail track between Barrajpur and Utripura on the Kanpur-Kasganj route. A Molotov cocktail was also discovered adjacent to the rail track.

To date, Kanpur police have been unable to make any significant breakthrough in the case.
Since August, at least six alleged attempts have been made in Uttar Pradesh to sabotage railway operations.
In the early hours of September 16, the locomotive of the Delhi bound Swatantrata Senani Express (12561) suffered a failure after hitting a wooden log lying on the rail track between Ghazipur Ghat and Ghazipur City railway station. The log was dragged for nearly half a kilometer before the express came to a halt. The train was cruising at a speed of 100 kmph, and even after the application of emergency brakes, the collision could not be avoided.
On September 10, three men had placed gravel between the Ghazipur Ghat and Ghazipur City railway station track and pelted stones at the Prayagraj-Ballia passenger train. They were apprehended by authorities the following day.
In a similarly nefarious act of sabotage, two men, including the son of a farmers' leader in Farrukhabad, were arrested by police for attempting to derail the Kasganj-Farrukhabad passenger train (05389) by placing a wooden log on the Kanpur-Kasganj route between Bhatasa and Shamshabad railway stations on August 24.
On the early morning of August 17, a 22-coach Sabarmati Express, originating from Varanasi and heading to Ahmedabad, had derailed near Kanpur after the locomotive collided with a meter-long old rusty rail chunk.