Stones thrown at newly launched Vande Bharat Express near Davangere

Stones were thrown at the Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express on Saturday, causing minor damage to a windowpane in one of the chair cars, an official said.

The stone-throwing occurred shortly after the train departed from Davangere at 3.40 pm. There were no injuries, and train service wasn't affected, according to Aneesh Hegde, Chief Public Relations Officer, South Western Railway (SWR).

The train reached its destination on time at 7.25 pm.

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"There was minor damage to the outer surface of a windowpane in the C4 coach. There was no damage to the inner part of the windowpane," Hegde told DH and added that the Railway Protection Force (RPF) had launched an investigation.

Authorities will assess damage and repair costs, he said. The train's primary maintenance takes place at the KSR Bengaluru railway station.

Taking the incident seriously, the RPF has opened a case under Section 153 of the Railway Act, which provides for up to five years' imprisonment for wilful destruction of railway property.

"This is not only the destruction of public property but also a criminal offence," Hegde said. "That's why the case was taken up under such a rigorous penal provision."

He said the train's regular operations would be unaffected.

The train is Karnataka's exclusive Vande Bharat Express and was introduced only on June 28.

This is the third time Vande Bharat Express has been targeted by stone throwers in Karnataka.

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On February 25, 2023, six side windows in two chair cars of the Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express were damaged in stone-throwing in eastern Bengaluru. There were no injuries.

Railway authorities had to spend about Rs 22,000 on repairing each window.

Schoolchildren from areas near KR Puram were involved in the incident. RPF officers counselled and let them off because of their impending school exams.

That incident prompted authorities to step up vigilance in areas known for stone-throwing under the Bengaluru railway division. "Our efforts paid dividends as stone-throwing incidents came down," Hegde said.

The first stone-throwing incident involving a Vande Bharat Express in Karnataka occurred in January but authorities didn't report it because there wasn’t much damage.

RPF officers are deployed on the Vande Bharat Express and long-distance trains to prevent such incidents.