Odisha train accident: CBI charges 3 railway officials with culpable homicide

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday filed a charge sheet against three arrested Railways officials in the June 2 Balasore train accident case for alleged culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing disappearance of evidence, the agency said.

The CBI had arrested the three -- senior section engineer (Signals) Arun Kumar Mahanta, section engineer Amir Khand and technician Pappu Kumar, all posted in Balasore district -- on July 7 in connection with its probe in the accident involving three trains which left 296 people dead and over 1,200 injured.

The accident took place on June 2 when the Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary freight train at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, and some of its derailed coaches fell onto the adjacent tracks and collided with the oncoming Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express.

In its charge sheet filed before special judicial magistrate in Bhubaneswar, the CBI mentioned that based on evidence adduced during the investigation, commission of offence under Indian Penal Code Section 304 part II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), Section 34 read with 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence with common intention) and Section 153 of the Railways Act (endangering safety of railways passenger by willful act of omission) were made out against the accused, the agency's spokesperson said in a statement in New Delhi.

The CBI alleged that the accused had direct responsibility of efficient upkeep of signal and telecommunication assets of Bahanaga Bazar railway station, where the tragedy took place.

It also alleged that the repair work at the level crossing gate number 94 near Bahanaga Bazar station was done under direct supervision of Mahanta using the circuit diagram of LC gate no. 79.

The typical circuit diagram of another LC gate No.79 was being used at the time of execution of wiring work being done at North Goomty (hut) of Bahanaga Bazar Railway Station, for changing the operation of level crossing gate No.94 from 110 volt AC to 24 volt DC, the agency further alleged.

The duty of the accused persons was to ensure that testing, overhauling and carrying out alterations to the existing signal and interlocking installations were in accordance with the approved plan and instructions which they did not do, it said.

The central probe agency had taken over the investigation from Odisha police.

A high-level railway inquiry had found "wrong signalling" to be the main reason for the accident and flagged "lapses at multiple levels" in the signalling and telecommunication department, but indicated the tragedy could have been averted if past red flags were reported.

The independent inquiry report submitted by the Commission of Railway Safety to the railway board said notwithstanding the lapses in signalling work, remedial actions could have been taken by signalling and telecommunication staff if "repeated unusual behaviour" of switches connecting two parallel tracks were reported to them by the station manager of Bahanaga Bazar.

The report also suggested that non-supply of station-specific approved circuit diagram for the works to replace the electric lifting barrier at level crossing gate 94 at the Bahanaga Bazar station was a "wrong step that led to wrong wiring".

It said a team of field supervisors modified the wiring diagram and failed to replicate it.

The report also said there was a similar incident on May 16, 2022 at Bankranayabaz station in the Kharagpur Division of South Eastern Railway on account of wrong wiring and cable fault.

"Had corrective measures been taken, after this incident, to address the issue of wrong wiring, the accident at BNBR would not have taken place," it added.