A major rail accident was averted after the loco pilot of the Amritsar-Howrah Punjab Mail spotted a heavy iron frame placed on the tracks near the Dilkusha block in Cantonment area here and applied emergency brakes, railway officials said.
The incident occurred around 2 pm on Friday when the Punjab Mail (train number 13006) was passing through the section. The matter came to the fore after Cantonment police registered an FIR on Saturday.
According to Rajkishore Mishra, senior section engineer (track), the loco pilot noticed a large iron frame, weighing about 50 kg, lying on the railway track. Although the train’s speed had been reduced, the locomotive struck the object, which got lodged underneath the engine.
Railway officials and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information and removed the iron frame from beneath the locomotive. The train was subsequently allowed to proceed, officials said.
Mishra later lodged a complaint at the Cantonment police station, following which an FIR was registered under sections 151 and 153 of the Railways Act, which deal with acts endangering the safety of railway passengers and operations.
Officials said police and surveillance teams have begun examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area to identify the suspect(s).
Cantonment station house officer Gurpreet Kaur said investigators were probing all possible angles. While preliminary findings suggest the act may have been carried out by miscreants or substance abusers, investigators are also examining the possibility of a deliberate attempt to sabotage railway operations. Intelligence agencies have been alerted as a precautionary measure, officials said.
The incident comes amid concerns over attempts to obstruct railway tracks in different parts of the country, prompting authorities to treat the matter seriously despite no injuries or damage reported in the latest case. Railway and police teams are jointly investigating the incident.
