The pilot of a goods train helped avert a potential disaster on Sunday as he hit the emergency brakes as soon as he spotted an LPG cylinder on the railway tracks in Kanpur. According to PTI, the incident occurred near Prempur railway station in Kanpur, while the train was travelling to Prayagraj from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. The cylinder was empty and this is being seen as the latest in a series of alleged derailment bids.
The police said the incident occurred in the morning. According to a statement issued by the police, they found a “five-litre capacity empty cylinder on the track”. They said the object was removed and the matter is under investigation.
Railway IOW (inspector of work), security and other teams examined the cylinder and removed it from the tracks. They were directed to remove the object and to investigate the matter.
This is the second such incident to take place within a fortnight. Earlier this month, the driver of the Kalindi Express located an LPG cylinder on the tracks in the Shivrajpur area of Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur. The driver applied the emergency brakes, but the train still struck the cylinder, although no injuries were reported. Investigations at the site revealed a bottle of petrol, matchboxes, and 4-5 grams of explosive powder, raising suspicions of a sabotage attempt.
Kanpur Police have detained six individuals, including two local history-sheeters, as multiple agencies, including the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), probe the incident, news agency PTI reported. An FIR has been lodged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Explosives Act.
According to an India Today report, the Indian Railways has recorded 18 attempts to derail trains since August. According to the report, objects like LPG cylinders, bicycles, iron rods, and cement blocks were found on tracks as part of the attempts.