The Bareilly-Varanasi Express narrowly avoided a major accident near Marihabad railway station near Lucknow. Sources said a plot was to derail the train by placing a wooden block weighing about 6 kilograms and 2 feet long on the tracks. As soon as the train reached that place, the block of wood got stuck under the train. The train conductor showed alertness and immediately applied emergency braking to avoid a possible accident.
Railway officials and station masters were informed immediately after the incident. Both tracks were thoroughly inspected and similar pieces of wood were found on the up track. Officials removed the block from the track and began the process of reopening the track.
After the incident, train operations were stopped for about two hours, causing a lot of inconvenience to passengers. Meanwhile, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and other security agencies have been alerted in view of the seriousness of the incident. Railway officials have taken the incident seriously and have registered a case at Malihabad railway station and launched an investigation. Police are currently trying to find out who orchestrated the plot and what was the purpose of it.
Railway officials said that the incident occurred on the evening of October 24 and that a major accident was avoided due to the wisdom of the train conductor. The railways has planned to further strengthen security arrangements to deal with such incidents and has directed regular monitoring of all tracks.
