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Iron angle found on railway tracks near Gwalior amid surge in ‘sabotage’ attempts; FIR lodged
A driver of a goods train spotted the iron angle lying on railway track near Birla Nagar railway station as the train was moving slowly.
Authorities have launched an investigation after a square iron angle was found on railway tracks near Birla Nagar Railway Station in Gwalior district early Tuesday morning. A goods train driver spotted the object while the train was moving slowly and informed the authorities.
MP Thakkar, in-charge of Government Railway Police (GRP) station, Gwalior, said the loco pilot raised the alarm around 4:30am. A memo from the Deputy Station Manager at Gwalior Railway Station was relayed to the GRP, which subsequently initiated an investigation.
“After that, Railway officials, employees and RPF staff reached the scene of the incident at Birla Nagar Railway station,” Thakkar said. “Upon investigation, it was found that the driver of the goods train had given information about placing a square iron angle on the railway track.”
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A case has been filed against an unidentified individual under relevant sections of the Railway Act, and the investigation is underway.
Efforts are on to search for the unknown accused, he added.
Surge in such incidents
The situation raises concerns amid a series of similar incidents reported in nearby states. Just days ago, police in Uttar Pradesh arrested a man for allegedly attempting to derail a train by placing iron rods on the tracks in Lalitpur district.
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Authorities discovered that a local man, Satyam Yadav, had been stealing iron rods from a nearby railway facility. During questioning, Yadav confessed to tossing the rods onto the tracks in a panic when the Patal Express approached.
Recent months have seen an uptick in dangerous objects being placed on railway tracks across Uttar Pradesh, raising alarm among railway authorities and the public.
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In September, a 16-year-old boy was apprehended for allegedly putting a fencing pillar on the Banda-Mahoba rail track. The driver of the passenger train had to apply emergency brakes to stop the train after he noticed a concrete pillar on the tracks.
On September 22, two people were arrested in connection with the alleged derailment bid of the Naini Jan Shatabdi Express by placing a six-metre-long iron pole on track between the Bilaspur Road and Rudrapur City railway stations on September 18 in Rampur, the police said.
