Gas cylinder, molotov cocktail and drag marks: What prompted Kanpur police to file FIR over sabotage attempt on Kalindi Express train

KANPUR: Shivrajpur police of Kanpur Nagar district have lodged an FIR for an alleged attempt to derail and blast the Bhiwani-bound Kalindi Express (14117). The loco-engine of the train had hit an LPG filled gas cylinder placed on the rail track between Barrajpur and Utripura on the Kanpur-Kasganj route on Sunday night. A 'petrol bomb' (Molotov cocktail), too, was found next to the rail track.

Based on a written complaint by the railway staff on Monday, the police have lodged a complaint under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita's sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 125 (whoever does any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others) and under the relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act and Railways Act.

Six teams have been constituted to probe the case, and 12 suspects have been detained for questioning.

Scene suggests possible sabotage attempt: FIR
The gas cylinder and the Molotov cocktail - a concoction of combustible liquid with a wick made of cloth - would have worked as a detonator to trigger a possible blast and fire once detonated, said the investigators.

According to the FIR filed by Ramesh Chandra, junior engineer of North Eastern Railway, "At 8:37 pm on Sunday, loco-pilots of Kalindi Express informed the railway control room that the train's loco-engine had hit a gas cylinder. Following this, at 9:10 pm, railway staff reached the location and inspected the area around the rail track. The staff found a petrol filled glass bottle with a wick lying next to the track, and a white bag."

"There were drag marks of the gas cylinder which was found lying on the right side of the rail track. The spot scene suggested a possible sabotage attempt to derail the train by an unknown person," read the FIR.

According to railway authorities, prior to the Kalindi Express, the Kasganj-Kanpur Anwarganj passenger (15038) had left Barrajpur station at 5:18 pm.

On Monday, inspector general, ATS, Neelabja Chaudhary, and his team of experts inspected the rail track between Barrajpur and Utripura.

Chaudhary said, "The forensic team is examining the case from different angles."

Additional commissioner of police, law and order, Kanpur, Harish Chander, confirmed to TOI, that the LPG cylinder had gas in it. "It could have been fatal, had it blasted off," he added.

Meanwhile, ACP, Kanpur, Ajay Kumar, said that more than 12 suspects have been taken into custody, and CCTV cameras are being scanned.

"At the incident spot, rubber pad (used to create grip between concrete slipper and metal rail track) and pandrol clips (used to fasten the rail with concrete sleepers) were found lying near the tracks as well. We are probing this as well and other angles," an official said.

This was the third incident in the region where an alleged sabotage attempt was made by placing obstacles on an active rail track.

Earlier, on August 17, a 22 coach Sabarmati Express, originating from Varanasi and heading for Ahmedabad, had derailed near Kanpur after the locomotive collided with a metre-long old rusty rail chunk.

Similarly, two men, including the son of a farmer leader in Farrukhabad, were arrested 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 Aug 24.