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Fire again erupts in Kerala train, probe on
The fire started in the third-last coach of the train that was halted at the railway station near a Bharat Petroleum fuel depot, officials said
A fire broke out in a coach of the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train which was halted at the Kannur railway station in Kerala in the early hours of Thursday, officials said, adding that a probe was underway to ascertain if it was an accident or a case of sabotage.
The fire started in the third-last coach of the train that was halted at the railway station near a Bharat Petroleum fuel depot, officials said, adding that no one was injured in the incident which occurred after all the passengers had deboarded.
An officer from the Kannur Fire and Rescue Station said they received information about the incident at around 1.30 am and by the time a rescue team reached the site, the coach was completely engulfed in flames. Visuals of the incident aired on TV channels showed huge flames coming out from the windows of the coach. Four fire tenders were deployed in fire-fighting operations and the flames were extinguished by 3.15am, the officer said.
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Meanwhile, railway officials claimed that a miscreant activity is suspected behind the incident and a forensic team has also reached the spot to investigate the incident.
“Officials are suspecting a miscreant activity behind the fire. Based on a complaint given by the on-duty station master, a case has been registered by GRP [Government Railway Police ],” the Railways said in a statement. “A forensic team has also reached the incident site.”
This is the second fire incident within as many months in the same train. On April 2, three people, including a baby, died after a 27-year-old man set his co-passengers on fire onboard the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train when it reached Korapuzha bridge near Elathur in Kozhikode. Nine people suffered burn injuries in the incident while the three deceased were found on the tracks. Police suspect they fell while trying to escape from the fire.
Days later, the accused, identified as Shahrukh Saifi (27) from Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, was arrested from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.
After the incident, opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress attacked the LDF government in the state.
PK Krishnadas, a BJP national executive member and chairman of Indian Railways’ Passenger Amenities Committee (PAC), alleged that such incidents have created fear and anxiety in the general public, especially those travelling by train. He questioned why it was happening “again and again” in Kerala. The PAC, under the Railways ministry, is tasked to check if passenger amenities are provided on trains and at stations.
BJP’s Kerala unit president K Surendran claimed that there was peace in the state due to efforts of the Centre and its agencies as otherwise the state would have been burnt to ashes by alleged extremist and terror groups. “Kerala (government) has sacrificed national security for vote bank,” he alleged.
Congress leader VD Satheesan said such incidents have created “insecurity” in the minds of the people, adding that the state government needed to intervene and take steps to strengthen the safety and security measures. Satheesan, who is the leader of opposition in the state assembly, also blamed the police for their alleged lack of seriousness in dealing with such cases, citing the Kerala Police probe in the Elathur train arson incident.
(With agency inputs)
