Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
In a suspected attempt to derail the Dehradun-Tanakpur Express, anti-social elements placed huge pieces of cable on the railway track near Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar district. Thanks to the prompt response of the train’s loco pilot, a major disaster was averted in the early hours of Sunday.
According to official sources, the incident occurred around 3:29 am when the Dehradun-Tanakpur Express was approaching Khatima. The loco pilot, while on duty, noticed pieces of thick cable strewn across the tracks. Reacting swiftly, he applied the emergency brakes, bringing the train to a halt just in time.
“Upon seeing the thick cables on the track, I immediately stopped the train using emergency brakes. It could have been a major accident if we had passed over the cables,” said the loco pilot in his statement to officials. He handed over the two cable pieces, one of which was almost 5 meter long, to the Banbasa railway station superintendent, who subsequently informed higher authorities.
Officials from the Railway Police Force (RPF) and local police rushed to the site to conduct an investigation. “This is a serious incident. We are investigating the matter thoroughly and are coordinating with other agencies to find out who placed the cables on the track,” said RPF Commandant Pawan Kumar Srivastava.
This is the second such incident reported in the state within two days. Earlier on Saturday morning, a gas cylinder was found lying on the tracks of the Roorkee-Luxor railway route. The guard of the Bulk Cargo Network (BCN) goods train spotted the cylinder on the second railway line near Dhandhera railway station at around 6.45 am. A case was registered against unknown people under sections of The Railways Act at Roorkee Civil Line Police Station.
Assistant Commandant Mohammad Shariq Khan, SP City Udham Singh Nagar Manoj Katyal, and CO Vimal Rawat visited the spot for an on-site investigation. “Such incidents pose a grave threat to the safety of passengers. We are determined to find the culprits and bring them to justice,” said SP Manoj Katyal.
The Khatima police have registered a case against unknown persons under relevant sections of The Railways Act. RPF and GRP (Government Railway Police) are conducting a joint investigation to track down the persons behind this conspiracy.
