Odisha train crash: 'Sabotage' theory floated to avoid blame, claims Congress

The Chennai-bound Coromandel Express rammed into an iron ore-laden goods train on the loop line near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore on June 2

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday stepped up his party’s attack on the government, saying that the “sabotage theory” floated after the Balasore train accident was to “escape accountability”.

Balasore: Workers restore railway tracks at the site where the triple-train accident happened in June near Bahanga Bazar railway station in Balasore district (PTI)

“It is clear that the sabotage theory floated by the Prime Minister and Railway Minister is to escape accountability and manage the headlines. The Commissioner of Rail Safety has concluded that severe shortcomings in procedures and systems relating to rail safety resulted in the Balasore train disaster,” Jairam Ramesh said in a post on Twitter, citing a news report on the findings of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) AM Chowdhary.

“But who is listening? Inaugurations of Vande Bharat trains continue... a horrific tragedy caused by misplaced priorities of the Modi government,” he said.

At least 293 people died in the accident that took place after the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express rammed into an iron ore-laden goods train on the loop line near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore on June 2.

In the days after the accident, the railways spoke about the possibility of sabotage and possible tampering with the electronic interlocking system, the nerve-centre of the Indian Railways’ signalling apparatus.

As reported by HT, the CRS, however, blamed faulty signalling due to two botched repair works and flagged lapses at multiple levels in the signalling and telecommunication (S&T) department, but indicated the deadliest train accident in two decades could have been averted if past red flags were reported.

The report also concluded that the June 2 tragedy could have potentially been avoided had the repeated glitches with the local signalling system been flagged, which could have led the signalling and track staff to trace the mistake that was made in 2018.

“The rear-collision (of Coromandel Express) was due to the lapses in the signalling-circuit-alteration carried out… in the past and during the execution of the signalling work related to replacement of electric lifting barrier for level crossing gate number 94 at the station,” said the report, which HT 

has seen.