Kalindi Express hits LPG cylinder in UP's Kanpur; FIR lodged, two persons questioned

Police suspect a bid to ‘derail’ the train, which runs from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj and was heading to its destination, Bhiwani in Haryana.

A major accident was averted after the Prayagraj-Bhiwani Kalindi Express collided with an LPG cylinder placed on the tracks, late Sunday night in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, police said, calling it an ‘attempt to derail the train.’

Kanpur: Police and fire services personnel inspect an LPG cyclinder after an attempt was allegedly made to derail the Kalindi Express, heading towards Bhiwani from Prayagraj, by placing the LPG cylinder on the tracks, in the Shivrajpur area in Kanpur, on Sunday night, Sept. 8, 2024. (PTI)

Kalindi Express was heading towards its destination at a very high speed when it hit the cylinder at Shivrajpur in Kanpur.

“An attempt was made to derail the Kalindi Express by putting the LPG cylinder on the tracks. Soon after receiving information, senior officers rushed to the site and launched an investigation. The forensics team was called in and the Railway Protection Force is also probing the matter,” a senior police official told PTI.

“The loco pilot (driver) applied emergency brakes after spotting the object. The train struck the cylinder before coming to a halt but as a result of the collision, the cylinder moved away from the tracks,” he added.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been lodged and police have detained two persons for questioning. Six teams have been formed to crack the case.

Additionally, a bottle with liquid recovered from the spot is molotov cocktail, as per police. A sweet box was also found. It was bought from Chibramau in Kannauj.

This is the second such incident in Uttar Pradesh in recent months. On August 17, as many as 22 coaches of the Varanasi-Ahmedabad Sabarmati Express derailed, also near Kanpur, after the engine hit an ‘object,’ described by the loco pilot as a boulder.

In July, four passengers lost their lives after the Chandigarh-Dibrugrah Express went off the tracks in the state's Gonda district.