Kalindi Express Derailment Attempt: 15 detained; NIA Team Likely to Visit Kanpur Today

Kanpur: Two days after an attempt was made to derail Prayagraj-Bhiwani Kalindi Express in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, police have detained 15 people for questioning. Meanwhile, an NIA team is likely to visit Kanpur on Tuesday to further intensify the probe.

For the unversed, an attempt was made to derail the Kalindi Express, heading towards Bhiwani from Prayagraj, by placing an LPG cylinder on the tracks in the Shivrajpur area here. It was a miraculous escape for the train as it hit the cylinder before coming to a screeching halt on Sunday morning.

This incident came almost a week after Farhatullah Ghori, the alleged mastermind behind the March 1 Rameshwaram Cafe blast, called on Muslim youth in India to target Railways and transportation networks.

Soon after the incident, a high alert was sounded prompting security agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (UP ATS), to initiate a investigation into the matter. The train derailment attempt is also being investigated from a terrorist conspiracy angle. 

An FIR has also been filed regarding the matter (Kalindi Express derailment) and several investigative teams have been formed to look into the incident. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed that the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has initiated a separate investigation into the matter.

How The Derailment Was Averted?   

Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chandra said the loco pilot saw that the LPG cylinder was placed on the tracks and applied the emergency brakes. The train hit the cylinder before coming to a halt and as a result, the cylinder moved away from the tracks. The loco pilot informed the guard and the gateman about the incident.  

The train was stationed at the incident site for about 20 minutes and was again stopped at the Bilhaur station for investigation, the ACP said. The damaged cylinder has been recovered. A bottle of petrol and matchboxes were also recovered from the spot.