Sabotage bid foiled as train driver sports iron pole on tracks in U'Khand

The driver of the Naini Jan Shatabdi Express averted a possible accident when he slammed the emergency brakes on finding an iron pole across the tracks near Uttarakhand's Rudrapur, officials said on Thursday, alleging that it could be sabotage.

The incident occurred on Wednesday near Rudrapur City Railway Station, approximately 43 kilometres from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur, Railway officials said.

"On September 18 at 10.18 pm, the loco pilot of train number 12091 reported to Station Master/Rudrapur City that he found one 6-metre-long iron pole on track between Bilaspur Road and Rudrapur City," a spokesperson from the Railway ministry said suggesting an act of sabotage.

"The driver stopped the train to clear the track. He started the train safely afterwards," the spokesperson said.

On the complaint of Rudrapur city section railway engineer Rajendra Kumar, an FIR was lodged at GRP Police Station Rampur under sections of the Railways Act 1989 against unnamed people.

"On seeing the electric pole, the loco pilot applied emergency brakes and stopped the train and after removing the pole the train resumed its journey," the FIR read.

Personnel from Government Railway Police, Railway Protection Force and police outpost arrived at the scene and initiated an investigation.

Of late, some railway divisions have reported cases in which obstructions in the form of gas cylinders, boulders or broken rails have been placed on the railway tracks with an intent to cause damage to train operations.

In Farrukhabad on August 24, a passenger train was stopped on the Kasganj-Farrukhabad railway track near the Bhatasa Railway Station after its engine hit a log placed on the tracks.

Earlier, in Kanpur an FIR was lodged for suspected sabotage in the derailment of 20 coaches of a passenger train.

The divisions have lodged FIRs in these cases and investigations are going on to trace the anti-social elements and prosecute them.