Thirteen coaches were derailed and in the accident came out in flames.
The violent removal of the fittings in the railway line led to the collision of Bagmati Express on the back with a freight train at the Kavapettai railway station in the Chennai division in the South Railway on the night of October 11, 2024, the final investigative reports of the Commissioner for Railway Safety.
The report confirmed sabotage and stated that the removal of fittings and connections in point 51b “miscreants” led to a train collision 12578 Mysuru-dharbanga Bagmati Express with established goods. Thirteen coaches were derailed and in the accident came out in flames, which left about 19 passengers injured.
“This did not happen because of the automatic/sudden failure of any equipment or assets, but because of a violent change in the proposed position of left language rails (which will turn the passing train from one track to another) …” said the report.
After the CRS asked the railways to identify the vulnerable areas susceptible to sabotage and to ensure a patrol on the basis of threat levels, the Railway Council responded by already identifying such places, and security measures, including the installation of tracking cameras and collecting intelligence information. Special forces were deployed in sensitive sections and all divisions were ordered to ensure that the perception of the threat.
The role of dedicated
The report stated that the possibility of sabotage involving the dedicated matter was a serious matter, and the railway rating machine should develop the mechanism of collecting inputs at this angle. In this note, the railways wrote CRS that the special news branch (SIB) of the railway protective forces (RPF), in coordination with central and state intelligence agencies, has strengthened safety to prevent sabotage, especially from the initiated. SIB units across Zonal Railways have been instructed to intensify the collection of intelligence information about railroad employees, contracting staff and other associated employees.
After the report appreciated the good work of Loco pilot G. Subramani, whose alertness and speed of emergency brakes reduced the train speed and the subsequent impact of the collision, the railway said that its name was recommended for “ATI VISHISHT RAIL Seva Puraskar”.
It should be remembered that Sabotage Angle was suspicious soon after an accident last year, which forced officials of the National Investigation Agency to visit the place. However, they did not find any material or any other evidence of Prima Facia, which point to sabotage for further examination of the case.
Published – July 30, 2025 20:38
