Kerala: Vande Bharat Train Damaged After Stone Pelting In Kannur, Second Such Incident In State

According to railway officials, the incident occurred at 3.27 p.m. as the train was travelling between Valapattanam and Kannur Chirackal.

On Monday, unidentified miscreants reportedly attacked the newly launched Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express train, according to police. According to authorities, the incident was discovered after railway personnel detected a scratch on one of the train's windowpanes, reportedly caused by stone pelting, when the train was going through the Valapattanam area of the district in north Kerala. The railway personnel quickly notified the police, believing that the stone had been thrown at the train as it passed through Valapattanam, news agency PTI reported.

Although it is not established that the incident occurred exactly at the Valapattanam boundary, police indicated that an inquiry has been begun and that all precautions have been taken to prevent such events.

According to railway officials, the incident occurred at 3.27 p.m. as the train was travelling between Valapattanam and Kannur Chirackal. The train from Kasaragod was bound towards Thiruvananthapuram.

This is the second such occurrence to occur in Kerala, following the launch of the state's inaugural Vande Bharat Express train from Thiruvananthapuram on April 25.

Unidentified miscreants allegedly threw stones at the train as it passed through a location between Thirunavaya and Tirur in Malappuram district last week.

PM Modi flagged off the train on April 25. The train connects the state capital to the northernmost district of the Kerala — Kasaragod. The train covers 11 regions — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod.

Vande Bharat Express is a natively produced, semi-fast and self-moved train set. The train has cutting-edge amenities for passengers, making travel faster, more comfortable, and more convenient for passengers.

Vande Bharat trains have been subjected to stone pelting in several states. In February, two windows of the Mysuru-Chennai Vande Bharat Express were cracked after stone were hurled at the train. The incident occurred on a segment of the tracks between Krishnarajapuram and Bengaluru Cantonment stations.

(With Inputs From Agencies)