MEERUT: A major train accident was narrowly averted in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur when an iron gate was discovered on the tracks near Tapri station late on Tuesday night as the Anand Vihar-Kotdwar Express was approaching. The train was halted after officials were alerted, and an FIR has been filed over the matter.
“The gate, measuring around 5ft by 4ft, was found on the tracks around 1 am. A gateman heard the noise of the iron gate falling nearly 2km from the station and alerted officials,” said Tapri station superintendent Sunil Kumar. “We’re treating this as a possible sabotage attempt.
If the train had hit the gate, a major accident could have occurred. Govt railway police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) are probing the incident,” he added. Train operations were disrupted for 15 minutes.
Shweta Ashutosh Ojha, circle officer (GRP), Saharanpur, told TOI that the gate weighed over 50kg. “It’s likely that two or more persons were involved in lifting and placing it on the tracks. An FIR under Section 150 (maliciously wrecking or attempting to wreck a train) of the Railway Act has been registered,” she said.
Shweta Ashutosh Ojha added that the gate was placed on a bend on the tracks, in a possible attempt to keep it out of sight of the loco pilot. This is the latest in a series of such incidents across UP where obstructions were placed on railway tracks with an intent to disrupt operations. On Sept 18, a 7m iron pole was placed on the tracks in Rampur district, nearly causing an accident as the Naini-Doon Express approached. The loco pilot spotted the pole and applied emergency brakes in time. Earlier on Sept 8, the Kalindi Express collided with a gas cylinder placed on tracks in Kanpur. Fortunately, the cylinder did not explode and rolled off the tracks.
