Post Balasore train crash, Central agency takes over official probe of Odisha incident on June 6.
According to officials, three railway employees have been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Balasore triple-train accident that resulted in the loss of over 290 lives.
At this stage, the absence of invoking Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) against the accused by the agency indicates a lack of evidence regarding sabotage.
The individuals arrested in relation to the Balasore incident, as stated, are senior section engineer Arun Kumar Mahanta, section engineer Mohammad Amir Khan, and technician Pappu Kumar. They have been charged under Sections 304 and 202 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertain to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and destruction of evidence, respectively.
According to sources, the investigation has uncovered that the actions of these three individuals directly contributed to the occurrence of the accident. They have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder because it has been determined that they possessed knowledge that their actions would lead to this tragedy, although without intent.
Last week, during the investigation conducted by the Commissioner of Railways Safety (CRS), it was highlighted that the accident was caused by human error attributed to workers in the signaling department. The possibility of sabotage, technical glitches, or machine faults was dismissed.
In relation to the Balasore incident, it was reported that the CRS emphasized negligence on the part of certain ground officials who failed to adhere to proper safety inspection procedures, especially following design alterations made three years ago in response to safety concerns.
Balasore incident CRS report
The independent inquiry report submitted by the CRS to the Railway Board regarding the Balasore incident stated that despite the signaling work lapses, the S&T (Signal and Telecommunication) staff could have taken corrective measures if they had been informed by the station manager of Bahanaga Bazar, where the accident occurred, about the “repeated unusual behavior” of switches connecting two parallel tracks.
The report further highlighted that a comparable incident took place on May 16, 2022, at Bankranayabaz station within the Kharagpur Division of the South Eastern Railway. The incident was attributed to incorrect wiring and a cable fault.
On Tuesday, citing the CRS report, the Congress party claimed that the government under Narendra Modi has seriously compromised on fundamental railway safety matters. They further asserted that the occurrence of “human error” highlighted the failure of both the management and the political leadership.
Following the triple-train accident, Archana Joshi was relieved from her position as General Manager of South Eastern Railway, and Anil Kumar Mishra took over the role in her stead, approximately a month later.
In one of the most severe railway tragedies witnessed in the country over the past two decades, three trains, namely the Kolkata-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, and a goods train, were involved.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the wires inside the level-crossing location box had been incorrectly labeled, and this error remained unnoticed for an extended period. Consequently, this mislabeling resulted in confusion during maintenance activities.
