At a time when the Indian Railways and probing agencies are investigating multiple sabotage attempts to derail trains, another case of a train derailment attempt has come to light from Rajasthan. According to railway officials, a loco pilot averted a major train derailment and loss of life by promptly applying emergency brakes after the goods train he was operating collided with motorcycle scrap placed on the railway track in Rajasthan’s Baran district.
According to officials, the incident occurred on the night of 29th August. An unidentified person placed bike scrap on the railway track near Chachauda village in the Chhabra area. A goods train passing through the track on the Kota-Bina railway line in Rajasthan collided with a motorcycle scrap.
Officials stated that while the incident could have led to a major accident, the disaster was averted because of the attentiveness of the goods train pilot, Vinod Meena.
The officials added that he stopped the train by applying emergency brakes and prevented a major accident.
Following the incident, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) registered a case to probe whether the scrap was accidentally left on the track or if it was a planned conspiracy.
RPF Commandant A Naveen Kumar said that the incident took place on 28th Aug at 9:27 pm when the loco pilot of the train running on the Kota Bina railway line noticed the motorcycle scrap placed on the track near Chachauda village in the Chhabra area.
Kumar added that someone had left a motorcycle scrap on the railway line and covered it with mud. While a goods train collided with it, however, loco pilot Vinod Meena wisely stopped the goods train by applying emergency brakes, Kumar said.
According to Kumar, a case has been registered against an unknown person under CR number 284/2024 under sections 147, 153, and 174 of the Railway Act 1989.
Additionally, efforts are underway to trace the motorbike owner based on the chassis number written on the bike scrap. It is speculated that this scrap was picked up from junk that had been dumped on the railway track, or that it could be the scrap of a bike that had been lying near the railway track after an old accident.
It is pertinent to note that multiple sabotage attempts to derail trains have been reported in recent months, particularly after the announcement of the results of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections on 4th June.
Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist instigate Jihadis to cause large-scale train derailments in major Indian cities
According to reports, the Indian authorities are currently reviewing train derailment incidents that transpired in the recent past after a video of a Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist, Farhatullah Ghori surfaced online. Notably, the Pakistani terrorist has posted a video on Telegram instigating his supporters to carry out large-scale train derailments in Delhi, Mumbai, and other Indian cities.
Inciting the Jihadis to interrupt the railway lines and their transportation system, Ghori said that it would cause havoc in India. The terror recruiter on the intelligence establishment’s most wanted list stated, “The government is targeting our properties through ED and NIA, but we will remain steadfast and usurp power sooner or later.”
In the three-minute video posted three weeks ago, Ghori asked the mujahideen to launch an “ishtishadi jung” or “fidayeen war” against Hindu leaders and police.
“Experiment with different tactics to ascertain what works… where they are most vulnerable,” he told them. Intelligence officers confirmed that the video had circulated for 1-2 weeks.
Notably, the Farhatullah Ghori who was designated a terrorist in 2020 has been involved in several terror attacks in India. Ghori was the mastermind of the 2001 Akshardham Temple attack which left 30 dead and 80 injured, the 2004 suicide attack on the Task Force office in Hyderabad, and the 2023 Rameshwaram Café blast case. Terrorist Farhatullah Ghori is originally from Hyderabad, India.
Instances of attempted train sabotage on the rise in India
Nevertheless, the Pakistani terrorist’s clarion call to his fellow jihadis across the border has sounded alarm bells for the Indian intelligence agencies, especially in the wake of multiple train sabotages that have struck the railways after the Lok Sabha 2024 elections.
On the night of 17th August, the engine of the Sabarmati Express train derailed near Govindpuri station in Kanpur. Soon after, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed that the derailment took place because of an object placed on the railway track. It was later revealed by the investigative authorities that a broken piece of railway track was kept on the train line to cause an accident.
Recently, an investigation was launched into a suspected act of sabotage after the engine of the Nainpur Jabalpur train collided with an extraneous iron rod placed on the track near Kachhpura station.
On Thursday, 22nd August, the Aligarh Railway Police charged one Afsan for deliberately placing an alloy wheel on the railway track to derail a moving train. The incident happened on Tuesday, 20th August when the accused made a deliberate attempt to recreate the Kanpur rail accident that happened on August 17th.
On Friday (23rd August) night, the Farrukhabad Express running 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.
Two men including a son of a local farmer leader were arrested in his case. One of the arrested individuals included Dev Singh and his neighbour Mohan Kumar. Both of them confessed during interrogation that they committed the act to gain fame.
Similarly, a major accident was averted in October last year as stones and rods were kept on railway tracks in a potential attempt to derail the Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express. Earlier this month, a YouTuber named Gulzar Sheikh was arrested for putting different items on railway tracks including cycles, soaps, stones, and more in the name of content creation.
