Military train halted after 10 'harmless' detonators go off on track

Ten detonators, which the railways terms "harmless", recently went off on tracks in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district, prompting the authorities to briefly halt a "military special train", officials said on Sunday.

The incident happened on Wednesday near Sagphata between Nepanagar and Khandwa stations of Bhusawal division. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) is probing it, Central Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila told PTI.

The detonators that went off had been given by the railways and they are used as part of regular operations, he said.

These detonators are called crackers and when they explode, they make a loud sound which is a signal for an obstruction or fog or mist ahead, he said.

"These detonators are regularly used by the railways and such detonators were put there (on tracks). There was no need to put them there, that is why RPF is thoroughly investigating it," Nila said.

"The investigations are being carried out from all angles," he said.

Another top railway official said that the military special train was going from Khandwa at the time.

"After the warning signal or 10 harmless detonators on track went off, our deputy station superintendent (of Sagphata) heard the sound. He got the military special halted and got things checked. The train was allowed to proceed in just two minutes,” the senior railway official said.

The statements of the "patrolling gang of 10 to 12 people" are being recorded and investigations are underway, the official added.