Probe begins into Vande Bharat stone-pelting incident

Bhagalpur: Railways on Tuesday started a probe into an incident of stone pelting on 22310 Bhagalpur-Howrah Vande Bharat Express train near Hatpuraini Halt under Jagdishpur police station in Bhagalpur district on Monday. The officials, along with a Railway Protection Force (RPF) team of Malda Division from Bhagalpur Post initiated the probe with cross-examination of the local residents.Malda divisional railway manager (DRM) Manish Kumar Gupta said that a thorough investigation has been initiated. Closed-circuit television camera footage from the Vande Bharat Express is being reviewed to identify the culprits, added the DRM.On Monday, the windowpane of a train coach had broken in the stone-pelting incident, which also created panic among passengers, even as no injuries were reported.After receiving information regarding the incident, the RPF team had rushed to the spot to assess the situation, along with railway officials from Bhagalpur. In addition to the ongoing investigation, an awareness campaign is being carried out by the staff of the RPF post in Bhagalpur, in order to sensitise the local residents about the serious consequences of such criminal activities, the DRM said. "The local residents are being informed that pelting trains with stones is a punishable offence under the Railways Act. It also endangers the lives of passengers," said the DRM, adding the Vande Bharat Express train is one of the most prestigious ventures of the railways. "People should cooperate so that the railways can introduce more people-friendly trains in future. Therefore we urge the common mass to cooperate in safeguarding public property and report any suspicious or anti-social activities near railway tracks or stations to the nearest railway authorities," the DRM said.