Odisha train accident FIR accessed, CBI special crime branch to probe case

Two days after the horrific Odisha train accident where 275 people died and over 1,000 sustained injuries, Republic accessed the FIR (First Information Report) registered on the tragedy by the state police. The FIR was registered on June 3, a day after the accident. The CBI Special Crime Branch will now investigate the fatal accident following the directions by the Union Government.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday (June 4, 2023) said the Railway Board has recommended that CBI carry out the investigation to find out the truth behind the triple train crash.

What the FIR says?

The FIR mentioned that on June 2 at around 6:55 pm there was a collision between train number 12841 (Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express) and train number 12864 (Yashwantpur-Howrah Express). The bogies of both the trains 'capsized' resulting in several fatalities and injuries to a lot of passengers travelling in the two trains. It also stated that the injured passengers and dead bodies were shifted to hospitals in Balasore. 

Based on available inputs, a case was registered under Indian Penal Code Sections 337, 338, 304A, 34 as well as 153, 154, 175 of the Railway Act. "At present the culpability of railway employees (has) not (been) ascertained, which will be unearthed during investigation," the FIR states.  

Possibility of sabotage flagged by officials

The Railway Board, while holding a press conference on Sunday, hinted at the possibility of sabotage and tampering of the electronic interlocking system behind the deadly accident.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that the culprits behind the accident have been identified and the root cause has also been ascertained.  "It happened due to a change made in the electronic interlocking and point machine,” he said.

Railway Board officials had also explained the functioning of the point machine and the interlocking system. "It is called a fail safe system, so it means that even if it fails, all the signals will turn red and all train operations will stop. Now, as the minister said, there was a problem with the signalling system. It could be that someone has done some digging without seeing the cables. The running of any machine is prone to failures," Railway Board member Jaya Verma Sinha had said.

Another railway official stated such tinkering with AI-based electronic interlocking systems can only be “intentional” and added that there is no chance of malfunctioning in the system. 

Vande Bharat creator Sudhanshu Mani also opined that the accident could be a criminal activity and suspected tampering. While speaking to Republic, he said, "It is a criminal activity whether it is done by a saboteur or the railway staff. What it indicates is a shortcut work by some railway staff; although I cannot say that with finality. Whether in collusion with the station master or not is something to be determined by the enquiry committee. It could be the negligence of the station master also.”