Odisha train accident: CBI seizes mobile phones of six railway employees

CBI sleuths and a team of forensic experts spent 45 minutes at Bahanaga Bazar railway station – where the accident took place.

Updated on: Jun 8, 2023, 24:58:38 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar:

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s probe into last week’s triple train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district entered its second day on Wednesday, as officials questioned at least six people and seized their mobile phones to ascertain the cause behind India’s worst train accident in nearly three decades.

A woman prays as the Coromandel Express leaves Shalimar station in West Bengal, four days after the accident, on Wednesday. (Samir Jana/HT photo)

Read here: Odisha train accident: Avoid shortcuts, report near misses, Railways tell staff

CBI sleuths and a team of forensic experts spent 45 minutes at Bahanaga Bazar railway station – where the accident took place – and interrogated railway officials and staff members, including former assistant station master SB Mohanty, and seized their mobile phones and other electronic equipment.

Mohanty was in-charge of the station until Friday when he was transferred to Khurda.

“They (CBI and forensic teams) seized several electronic equipment, including the mobile phones used by the staff on the day of the accident,” said a railway officer connected with Bahanaga Bazar police station, who did not want to be identified.

According to a senior CBI officer, who also did not wish to be named, the call records, including those made via WhatsApp, and social media usage of the three people will be examined as part of the investigation.

At least 288 people have died so far and more than 1,1100 injured in the accident which took place on Friday after a Chennai-bound Coromandel Express rammed into a goods train bearing iron ore, the impact of the collision flinging several compartments into the adjacent track. A few of these coaches hit the last two cars of the Howrah-bound Yesvantpur Express, which was passing by on the opposite line at the same time.

On Sunday, Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the railway board sought a CBI probe into the accident over suspicions of a possible sabotage attempt.

To be sure, it is not clear if the accident was a result of human error, a system malfunction or sabotage.

On Tuesday, CBI began its probe and registered a first information report (FIR) based on the case registered on June 3 by Balasore Government Railway Police, Cuttack.

Read here: Bahanaga Bazar: The rural station in Odisha's Balasore rocked by train crash

The FIR names unknown people and was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 304A (causing death by negligence), sections 337 and 338 (related to endangering life of others), and sections 153, 154 and 175 of Railways Act (which also deal with endangering lives).

CBI is expected to question Gunanidhi Mohanty, the loco pilot of the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express who is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, this week, the officer cited above said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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