Duronto Express derailment: GRP, RPF do not rule out sabotage

Though prima facie it appears to be a landslide, sabotage cannot be ruled out, said source in the Government Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force.

A technical team from the Government Railway Police (GRP) is visiting the spot near Asangaon, where the Mumbai-Nagpur Duronto Express derailed early on Tuesday morning, to check if there were any indications of a possible sabotage. Though prima facie it appears to be a landslide, sabotage cannot be ruled out, said source in the Government Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

The Mumbai-Nagpur Duronto Express derailed early on Tuesday morning (Rishikesh Choudhary)

“If there was a landslide, why didn’t the gangmen – men who monitor the tracks – alert the station master of the nearest station? This is considering a high speed train was to pass through the area,” said an officer, requesting anonymity.

The theory of sabotage is being explored considering the number of instances where loco drivers have found metal bars and iron rods ripped off from railway’s electrical equipment and found on railway tracks since the beginning of this year.

Niket Kaushik, commissioner of GRP said that a technical team has been sent to the spot. The team will make a detailed analysis, question all men who were on duty and were responsible for the aversion of such an incident, and a report will be submitted. “If the technical team suggests foul play, we will investigate the matter,” said Kaushik.

The year had started with a major tragedy being averted after the motor man of Madgaon-Dadar Jan Shatabdi Express spotted a seven metre long piece of railway track placed diagonally over the railway track, and applied brakes to save the 700 odd passengers travelling.

This had seen the central agencies along with the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the GRP investigate the case, which hinted at possible members of the proscribed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) being behind the incident.