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Assam: Suspected IED blast damages railway track in Kokrajhar, probe launched
According to the police, the blast occurred around 12:57 am, following which an investigation was immediately launched.
A suspected improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Assam’s Kokrajhar district damaged nearly two feet of railway track in the early hours of Thursday, officials said.
According to the police, the blast occurred around 12:57 am, following which an investigation was immediately launched.
“We received the information around 1 am and a team rushed to the spot. Nearly two feet of the iron track was damaged, and the railways department has been working on restoration,” said Pushpraj Singh, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Kokrajhar.
Singh said no organisation has so far claimed responsibility for the blast, but the police are investigating all possible angles. “We have launched a probe and the railway police are also assisting us,” he said.
Officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said the explosion led to delays for several trains.
“At about 1 am, when a goods train was passing between Salakati and Kokrajhar, the train manager reported a heavy jerk, after which the train was stopped. On inspection, damage was found on the track and sleepers, suspected to have been caused by a bomb blast,” NFR officials said in a statement.
They added that the state police, Railway Protection Force (RPF), and intelligence agencies are jointly investigating the incident.
“The track was restored around 5:25 am, and by then, about eight trains that were detained due to the incident had resumed movement. Patrolling has been intensified in the affected section,” said Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, chief public relations officer of NFR.
