Kalindi Express derailment: LPG cylinder placed on tracks to derail train; police probe suspected sabotage bid

In an attempt to derail the Kalindi Express, an LPG cylinder was placed on the tracks in Kanpur's Shivrajpur area, police said on Monday. The train was heading towards Bhiwani from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.

Elaborating on the accident, police said further, train hit the cylinder before coming to a screeching halt on Sunday morning. Due to being hit by the train, the cylinder was thrown away from the tracks. The police discovered a bottle of petrol, matchboxes and a suspicious bag containing gunpowder-like substance from the site. 

Soon after receiving information about the incident around 8.20 am on Sunday, senior officials rushed to the site and launched an investigation into the matter. The forensics team was and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) are also investigation process.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Harish Chandra, stated that the loco pilot noticed an LPG cylinder placed on the railway tracks and immediately applied the emergency brakes. Although the train struck the cylinder, it was pushed off the tracks before the train came to a complete stop. The loco pilot then reported the incident to the guard and gateman, Chandra added.

Kanpur police detained six persons, including two local history sheeters, in connection with the case and decided to form a Special Investigation Team, they said, adding it will also study if there are any similarities with the recent Sabarmati Express derailment in Kanpur.

"An attempt was made to derail the Kalindi Express by placing the LPG cylinder on the tracks," the police said.

The incident occurred around 8.20 pm on Sunday when the Bhiwani-bound train was running at a high speed.

The train remained at the scene for approximately 20 minutes before continuing its journey, only to be stopped again at Bilhaur station for further investigation, according to the ACP.

 The police has secured a DVR from a shop in Chibramau and detained a few criminals, according to a PTI report citing DCP (west) RK Singh.

“We have formed six teams to track the people behind this incident and are keeping a close tab on the movement of jamaats (religious preaching groups) in and around the area,” he said.

He also stated that the police wanted to check if anybody with bad intention travelled with the jamaats or any other religious groups. 

This is the third such incident in two weeks. 22 coaches of Sabarmati Express derailed on August 17 after the engine hit an object on the tracks. On August 18,  Kasganj passenger train hit a wooden log near Kaimgunj. The police arrested two youths who were under the influence of alcohol and placed the log to become popular.