Sabotage Fears Grow as Explosives Found on Army Train Tracks

Synopsis: An Army special train narrowly avoided disaster in Madhya Pradesh when detonators were discovered on the tracks, marking a suspected sabotage attempt. On the same day, an empty gas cylinder was found on railway tracks near Kanpur, adding to growing concerns over railway security. Investigations by the Army, police, and national security agencies are underway to determine the motives behind these alarming incidents.

Since Aug this year, at least six alleged attempts have been

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Army Train Faces Sabotage Scare in Madhya Pradesh

An alarming incident came to light on September 18 when 10 railway "detonators" were found on the tracks in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh when an Army special train was passing by. This is at a time when the repeat attempts to target railways are raising grave fears of disruption of their services. Six such incidents have been reported in Uttar Pradesh since August alone. On the same day, an empty gas cylinder was found on the tracks near Prempur station in Kanpur, further elevating security fears.

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In Cachar, several hundred wounded Army men were evacuated to the Silchar Military Hospital. Explosives were set off along the tracks from Burhanpur district in Madhya Pradesh to derail an Army train carrying troops and arms at Dasuya, in Gurdaspur district. Detonators, laid 1 meter apart over 10 meters, exploded when the train crossed them. Though detonators looked like firecrackers, it was how they were laid parallel to the track that made the Army suspect sabotage. The loco pilot brought the train to a halt the moment he heard the explosions at Sagphata station, thus delaying it by half an hour.

Railways and Army Question the Incident

Railway officials term it an act of "mischief." The Army has demanded that the investigators interrogate key railway employees, including signalmen and trackmen. A gang member who allegedly put the explosives has reportedly been taken into custody. No confirmation is available about this report. He may be said to have acted in a fit of drunken rage.

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Yet another campaign: Empty Gas Cylinder Found on Kanpur Railway Tracks

It was an empty 5-litre gas cylinder lying on the tracks of a freight train when the loco pilots spotted it as the train passed through a section in the Kanpur region. The crew promptly applied emergency brakes and disaster was narrowly averted. The police opine that the cylinder would have gone flying off the tracks due to training momentum, but putting it there shows all symptoms of sabotage. Kanpur police, Railway Protection Force, and Government Railway Police are probing the affair.

2 train derailed and people are screaming

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Agencies Involved in National Security

Immediately after the Ratlam incident, national security forces plunged into action. Officers from the NIA, Army, ATS, and local police had inspected the site to see if it was more than just mischief. The RPF is already doing its inquiry as regards the safety of operations to be carried out in the future.

Inputs from Multiple Agencies
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