Cops Release Kerala Train Fire Suspect's Sketch, CM Vijayan Orders SIT Probe: Top Points

Kerala train fire: A Special Investigation team has been formed by police to probe the incident. The police have released a sketch of the suspect for public to help identify the suspsect.

Kerala CM Pinnarayi Vijayan has ordered a thorough probe into the Kerala train fire.

A fire on board the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train in Kozhikode district resulted in the loss of three lives, including an infant. Reacting to the incident, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the fire. 

Here are the top developments in the case:

• A sketch of the suspect has been released based on a witness account. The witness was a passenger on the train.
  
  
  
  
• The culprit, who set fire to one of the train's compartments, has not yet been identified. However, the police believe that the accused is from a north Indian state and that the incident was planned. The accused is likely to have carried petrol in a bottle concealed in his bag. The bag was later recovered from the tracks.
  
  
• Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said: "This is heart-rending. I express my condolences to the bereaved families. Security will have to take note of this."
  

  #WATCH | On an unidentified man pouring petrol on a passenger & setting fire inside a moving train near Elathoor in Kozhikode district, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan says, "...Three people lost their lives. This is heart-rending. I express my condolences to the bereaved… pic.twitter.com/qqLCkPfs0Z

  — ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2023

• Various investigative agencies are looking into the incident and are probing terror links of the accused (based on the sketch), if any. The police, however, was quoted by news agency PTI as saying: "There were no other clue in the bag. It is not believed to be an act of terror. There is no information or links regarding that presently."
  
  
• The probe is being led by Kerala police chief Anil Kant. CM Pinarayi Vijayan has instructed the police to leave no stone unturned to find the one responsible for the incident.
  
  
• The nine passengers injured in the incident are being treated at various hospitals in Kozhikode. The bodies of the deceased — a woman, an infant, and a man — were discovered on the tracks near the Elathur railway station late on Sunday.
  
  
• Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "It's a very unfortunate incident. I have spoken with the Kerala CM. He is constituting an SIT. The RPF, GRP and State Police are all collaborating to catch the culprits. We will definitely catch the culprits, we will leave no stone unturned to catch them."
  
  
  
  
• Former Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala called for increased security on trains and suggested that everyone should be checked before being allowed to board. He also claimed that the incident was an example of the ineffectiveness of the Railway Police Force (RPF).
  
  
• The Railway Police said some of the injured had suffered 50% burns, but their health condition was stable. The bodies found on the tracks did not have any burns. The suspect managed to flee soon after the incident. The injured could be taken to hospitals in Kozhikode after other passengers stopped the train by pulling the emergency chain.
  
  
• Initially, cops thought that the incident was a result of a fight between the suspect and another passenger. However, police and a passenger in the compartment have since stated that the accused did not have any altercation with anyone. 
  
  
• The Kerala government, in a statement, said it will take strong steps to ensure the safety of railway passengers. The Ministry of Railways will also be asked to take all possible steps to ensure safety of passenger.