Another train sabotage attempt foiled in UP; probe underway

Hindustan Times

04-06-2025

A potential train accident was averted late Sunday night in Bareilly district, after a group of vigilant railway staff detected tampering with track infrastructure near Dohna station. The incident marks the latest in a series of sabotage attempts across Uttar Pradesh.
Senior superintendent of police Anurag Arya stated that a special team has been constituted to identify and apprehend those responsible.
According to officials, the incident occurred around 11:55 pm on June 1, when the crew of the 05307 Tanakpur-Bareilly City passenger train noticed irregularities on the track and promptly halted the train. On inspection, they discovered that miscreants had stuffed ballast, the crushed stones used to stabilise railway tracks between the tongue rail and stock rail, effectively jamming the point mechanism, which guides trains safely between tracks.
Additionally, the earthing plate, a vital component connecting the Overhead Equipment (OHE) to the Switch Expansion Joint Rail (SWJR), was found bent. The SWJR is critical for allowing rails to expand and contract with temperature variations while maintaining track integrity.
Station master Bhupinder Arora of Dohna reported the sabotage to higher authorities via a memo. The Izzatnagar division of North Eastern Railway confirmed the incident and lodged an FIR at Bhojipura station under Section 150 of the Indian Railway Act, which deals with malicious acts intended to wreck trains.
This latest attempt is part of a disturbing trend in the region. On May 31, loco-pilots of the 64021 Delhi–Shamli MEMU train narrowly avoided a mishap when they spotted an iron pipe, ballast, and broken concrete obstructing the tracks near Shamli station. Similarly, on the night of May 29–30, ballast was found on the tracks between Bheerpur and Meja Road in Prayagraj, targeting the New Delhi–Bhubaneswar Tejas Rajdhani Express (22824). Earlier on May 19, two more sabotage attempts were reported near Dalelnagar and Umar Tali stations in Hardoi district, where wooden logs were placed on the tracks to derail the Delhi–Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (20504) and Kathgodam Express (15044).