The incident was taken seriously in view of the possibility of sabotage. (Representational photo)
Passengers of the New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express had a narrow escape from a major accident, averted by the timely detection of damage in the tracks between Mansi and Maheshkut stations and prompt action by the Railway officials.
Minutes before the train was about to cross the stretch, fish plates were found to be missing from the tracks in Bihar, Railway officials said today.
Railway police are investigating the case, taking all angles under consideration, including sabotage. The East Central Railway (ECR), in its preliminary report, stated that a gap was detected in the tracks, caused due to contraction because of the prevailing cold condition.
"As per our (Railway's) information, it was not a sabotage bid. It could be the result of contraction of the tracks due to the cold weather conditions," ECR Chief Public Relations Officer Arvind Kumar Rajak said today.
Locals of Bakhtiyarpur village in Khagaria district had yesterday spotted the gap in a joint in the tracks in the Mansi-Katihar rail section and informed the Railway officials around 6:50am.
Following this, the train was stopped at Mansi station for 32 minutes. It resumed its journey at 7:35am yesterday after the damage was rectified, Mr Rajak said.
The Railway authorities took the incident seriously, in view of the possibility of sabotage after the arrest of three ISI suspects from East Champaran district, recently. The Khagaria incident came close on the heels of explosion on the tracks in Buxar Monday last.
Arrest of three persons, who were working as agents of a Nepal-based ISI man Shamsul Hoda, in connection with a foiled attempt to trigger blast on the track near Ghorasahan in East Champaran on October 1 last year, has sent security personnel and the Railways into a tizzy and all such incidents are being probed meticulously. Interrogation of the suspects has unravelled an ISI terror plot to target trains in India.
Four persons were killed when the New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express got derailed in Bihar's Chapra in 2014.
With inputs from PTI