Fire extinguisher on train tracks sparks, investigation finds no criminal intent

A fire extinguisher that may have fallen accidentally from a train sparked a scare on Sunday (September 29) when the driver of another passenger train applied the brakes after spotting the cylinder-like object on the tracks between Govindpuri and Bhimsen stations in Kanpur had discovered to officials.

“The incident took place when the train was traveling from Mumbai to Lucknow. He had barely reached Govindpuri railway station when the driver spotted a cylinder on the tracks around 4 am on Sunday,” Additional General Manager (Railways) Prakash D said.

The train driver immediately passed the information on to the control center. It later turned out that the bottle was a railway fire extinguisher.

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No criminal intent

The ADG said that the railway officials along with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) launched an investigation and found that there was no criminal intent behind the act.

The findings also stated that there was no external or other criminal involvement in this case, ADG added.

“In the investigation report, the railway officials stated that the fire cylinder was the property of the railways and was issued by the section engineer (car and coach) Gorakhpur and may have accidentally fallen from another train,” the ADG said, adding no FIR was lodged in the matter .

Following similar incidents in recent times, railway officials are on alert.

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Similar incidents

A 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly placing a fence post on the Banda-Mahoba railway line on Saturday (September 28), causing disruption. The driver of a passenger train had to apply emergency brakes to stop the train after noticing the concrete pillar on the tracks, police said.

Also, the locomotive of a train hit a stone on the railway track in Bairia area of ​​Ballia on Saturday, officials said, adding that no damage was caused.

The RPF has formed a special team to solve the case and patrols are being carried out on the railway line while the police have lodged an FIR, the officials said.

RPF Inspector VK Singh narrated PTI“We believe this was done with the intention of derailing the train. The team’s current conclusion in this case is that an unknown person planted the stone.”

On September 8, a suspected attempt to derail the Kalindi Express en route from Prayagraj to Bhiwani was reported when an LPG cylinder was found on the tracks in Kanpur.

Just a week ago, a locomotive driver of a freight train also found an empty gas cylinder on the tracks near Prempur railway station. Both incidents are under investigation.

(With agency inputs)