Disaster averted: Suspected bomb found on Bengal railway tracks; train services disrupted

NEW DELHI: A suspected bomb was reported on railway tracks about 1.5 kilometres from Sainthia railway station in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Wednesday, triggering a swift response from security agencies and leading to a temporary halt in train movement on one track.As per news agency ANI, Personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) rushed to the spot following the alert.Train operations on one of the lines have been stopped as a precautionary measure. Further details are awaited.Authorities have not yet confirmed the nature of the object or whether any explosive material has been recovered.The development comes against the backdrop of multiple bomb threats reported in the region over the past two days.According to news agency PTI, at least three lower courts in West Bengal and Jharkhand received bomb threats on Wednesday, prompting evacuations and search operations. District courts in Asansol and Suri in West Bengal and the civil court in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, were targeted through emails, officials said.“Police teams and bomb squads reached the court premises and search operations are still underway. So far, nothing suspicious has been recovered,” a senior West Bengal police officer said, as quoted by PTI.Naushad Alam, DSP (Law & Order) of Dhanbad, said, “The court premises were thoroughly searched, but so far, no explosive material has been found. Security has been tightened in and around the courts.”On Tuesday as well, at least six courts across West Bengal received bomb threats that later turned out to be hoaxes, reported PTI. Cyber crime cells, in coordination with police, are trying to trace the source of the emails, officials said.It is not yet clear whether the reported bomb on the railway tracks near Sainthia station is linked to the recent threats. Authorities are continuing their investigation.