Two men, one of whom is the son of a local farmers’ leader, have been arrested for allegedly trying to derail a train by placing a wooden log on the tracks in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad over the weekend. The police reported on Wednesday that an alert locomotive pilot managed to prevent an accident by timely applying the brakes.
The arrested individuals, Dev Singh and his neighbour Mohan Kumar, both in their twenties and residents of Ariyara village in Farrukhabad, confessed during interrogation that they committed the act to gain fame. “The accused believed that the incident would bring attention to their names and make them famous,” said Ram Avtar, the Station House Officer of Kayamganj Police Station.
Singh’s father, Kamlesh Kumar, is a prominent farmers’ leader in the region.
The police reported that Indian Railways employee Jaheer Ahmed Khan filed a First Information Report (FIR) on August 24 against unidentified individuals for placing a wooden log on the railway track, putting passengers at risk and causing damage to government property.
On Friday (23rd August) night, the Farrukhabad Express plying between Kasganj and Farrukhabad narrowly averted a major accident after coming in contact with a wooden log placed on the railway track.
As per reports, the train experienced a sudden jolt, forcing the loco pilot to apply emergency brakes and bring the train to a halt. It was later discovered that the wooden log had stuck to the train’s engine.
After that, the railway workers removed the wooden log and cleared the track. The train resumed services after 25 minutes. On reaching the Shamshabad railway station, the loco pilot reported the matter.
During their investigation, the police used local intelligence and surveillance to identify Dev Singh and Mohan Kumar as suspects. “The accused confessed to the crime, stating that they arrived at the field around 9 pm on Saturday. Seeing no one nearby, they took a wooden log from the field and placed it on the railway track, about 80 meters away,” said a police officer.
Singh and Kumar, both farmers, have been charged under Section 327 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for mischief with intent to destroy or make unsafe a rail, aircraft, decked vessel, or a vessel of 20 tons burden. Additionally, they face charges under the Railways Act.
