Gujarat police register FIR against 'unknown' for conspiracy to derail Rajdhani Express

An FIR was lodged against unidentified miscreants at Valsad rural police station

The Valsad rural police in south Gujarat has registered an FIR against unidentified persons for criminal conspiracy to derail the Rajdhani Express train in an attempt to murder the passengers and destroy railway properties, among other charges.

The FIR was registered after the Mumbai-Delhi express train on Friday evening hit a cement pillar, barely a km from Atul Railway Station situated about 6 km from Valsad station. The train was not affected by the impact of the pillar and no one was hurt. The FIR was registered at Valsad rural police station under section 307 (attempt to murder) to be a criminal conspiracy (120b) of the Indian Penal Code and several sections of the Railway Act, 1989.

Police said that the loco pilot informed Atul Railway Station officials about the incident who reached the spot immediately. The railway officials found something was amiss as 23 minutes prior to the incident a goods train had passed on the same track without any such accident.

Sensing possible mischief, railway officials informed the local police which registered an FIR after visiting the spot. The FIR was registered on the basis of a written complaint filed by Sudhanshu Sharma, station superintendent, at Atul Railway Station. When contacted, Valsad district superintendent of police Rajdeepsinh Jhala told DH, "We have registered an FIR last evening against unidentified persons. We have formed several teams for investigation. As of today, I won't be able to comment on anything. We are looking into all aspects."

Police suspect that some miscreants may have placed the pillar, weighing 42 kg, on the track in order to derail the train. Sharma has said in his complaint that at 6:47 PM, a goods train passed through the same route "safely" and later Rajdhani Express passed the station at 7:10. A minute later at 7:11 the driver of the train Mohammed Siddiqui informed Sharma on a walkie-talkie that "a sleeper (concrete pole) had collided with the train."

Sharma, according to police, dispatched two of his employees to the site who reported back that the railway track was clear and a broken cement pole was lying near the track. The FIR states that at 32-foot away from the track, cement poles have been used in fencing. These poles are buried at least 1 foot in the ground. The railway staff, according to the FIR, suspected that one of the poles was dug out and kept on the track.

"We don't know how that heavy concrete pole could have reached the track. This railway track is close to Dedicated Freight Corridor between Mumbai and Delhi where construction is going on. The pole could have been left here by some labourers or someone may have placed it here purposely. Whatever it is, it could have led to an unfortunate incident," a railway officer told DH.

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