Explosion On Railway Track In Udaipur, NIA And Other Agencies Launch Probe

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the teams of ATS, NIA, and RPF are on site and investigation is underway. He added that the accused will be severely punished.

An explosion took place on the Udaipur-Ahmedabad railway track on Sunday. The blast occurred hours before the recently inaugurated Asarwa-Udaipur Express train from Ahmedabad was supposed to pass. The police are investigating all angles, including sabotage.  

Following the incident, train services have been temporarily suspended on this route. Police and railway officials are investigating the spot.

Speaking to the news agency ANI, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "There was an explosion on a track about 35 km away from Udaipur. Teams of ATS, NIA, and RPF are on site. The investigation is underway. The accused will be severely punished. The team to restore the bridge is already on site."   

"As soon as the preliminary investigation is done, within 3-4 hours, the tracks will be restored, and trains will start running again. We have deployed the best possible teams to investigate this," he added.  

According to PTI, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the incident was worrying and has ordered Director General of Police Umesh Mishra to investigate the matter thoroughly.  

DGP Mishra said that they are working with central agencies to investigate the incident and efforts are on to nab the accused. "Necessary action is being taken in coordination with railway officials," he said.  

Teams of the Forensic Science Laboratory and the Anti-Terrorist Squad visited the spot and conducted investigations.  

An official said that mining explosives were used to damage the tracks on Odha bridge near Kewda Ki Naal, which comes under the Jawar Mines police station of Udaipur. "Local people informed us about the explosion in the morning. We have found some explosives on the track and efforts are being made to identify those responsible," local SHO Anil Kumar Vishnoi said, as quoted by PTI.  

Another police official informed that a "Superpower 90" detonator was used for the explosion. "The blast appears to be well-planned. Due to the alertness of the local people, the matter came to light and a major incident was averted," he said.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the inaugural run of the Asarwa-Udaipur Express from the Asarwa railway station in Ahmedabad on October 31. Following the explosion, the train was halted at the Dungarpur station, PTI quoted a railway spokesperson, as saying.  

Udaipur Superintendent of Police Vikas Sharma said that all angles, including sabotage, were being probed and the work to restore the tracks was underway. 

(With Agency Inputs)