On Friday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) apprehended three railway employees in connection with the Balasore train accident case in Odisha, India. The arrests were made following the submission of a report by the Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS) regarding the tragic incident that occurred on June 2 at Bahanaga Bazar station. The accident involved a triple-train collision, resulting in the loss of over 290 lives and leaving nearly 1000 passengers injured.
The individuals taken into custody by the CBI have been identified as Arun Kumar Mahanta, a senior section engineer; Mohammad Amir Khan, a section engineer; and technician Pappu Kumar. The agency has charged them under sections 304 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to culpable homicide and destruction of evidence, respectively. However, the specific actions that led to their arrest have not been disclosed.
The CRS report on the Balasore accident revealed deficiencies in the signaling system and highlighted "lapses at multiple levels." It attributed the collision between the Coromandel Express and a goods train on a different track to repair work conducted shortly before the incident.
Although the CRS probe report has not been made public by the Railways, officials have stated that its non-disclosure is intended to prevent any influence or interference in the ongoing CBI investigation. The arrest of the railway employees follows the identification of the "root cause" of the accident and the individuals responsible, as announced by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Railway authorities have also indicated the possibility of sabotage and tampering with the electronic interlocking system, which detects train presence, as contributing factors to the accident.
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