Sabarmati Express derailment: Railways hints at sabotage

Twenty coaches of the Ahmedabad-bound Sabarmati Express passenger train derailed near Govindpuri station in Kanpur early on Saturday, 17 August, after the engine hit an "object placed on the track". Agencies are investigating the possible involvement of anti-social elements in the incident, railway officials said.

There were no casualties in the derailment that occurred between Kanpur and Bhimsen railway stations at around 2.35 am, disrupting traffic on the route. According to the Railways, seven trains were cancelled and three were diverted due to the derailment.

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Intelligence Bureau and Uttar Pradesh police were looking into the incident and arrangements were being made for the onward journey of passengers.

In a post on X, Vaishnaw said, "The engine of Sabarmati Express (Varanasi to Amdavad) hit an object on the track and derailed near Kanpur at 02:35 am.

"Sharp hit marks are observed. Evidence is protected. IB and UP police are also working on it. No injuries to passengers or staff. Train arranged for passengers for onward journey to Amdavad."

Asked about the incident, police commissioner, Kanpur, Akhil Kumar told PTI that it "is premature to reach a conclusion on whether it is an accident or an act of mischief, but it could be anything".

"The loco pilot told the police that he had seen something on the tracks from a distance and he immediately applied the emergency brakes that resulted in the derailment, but he failed to elaborate on what he saw," he said.

Kumar said that no FIR had been lodged in this connection till Saturday evening as the police had not received a written complaint from the railways so far.

Railway Board officials said the involvement of miscreants or anti-social elements is being looked into as prima facie it appears that the engine hit an object "placed on the track".

"We found a foreign material near the 16th coach of the train. Looking at the size of the damaged portion of the cattle guard of the engine, it seems that the engine hit this foreign object and derailed," an official said.

"The loco pilot said that some boulder hit the cattle guard (front portion) of the engine which got badly damaged and bent," another official said.

On the same track at 1.20 am, a Patna-Indore train crossed uninterrupted, Railway Board officials said.

"A piece of iron which was allegedly placed on the tracks resulting in train derailment has been found about 70 to 80 yards away from the incident site and no dragging signs were there," the police commissioner said.

The passengers of the Sabarmati Express (19168) were sleeping when the train stopped after a loud noise. As the train halted, panic-stricken passengers started pouring out of coaches.

Most of them sat near the railway track waiting for help and called their family members to inform them about the incident.

"Shortly after the train departed from the Kanpur railway station, we heard a loud noise and the coach started shaking. I got very scared but the train stopped," one of the passengers Vikas told PTI video.

Vikas, who boarded the train from Varanasi and was headed for Ahmedabad, said that the train was moving at a very slow speed when it got derailed.

"The police came almost an hour after the incident. We are waiting with our luggage on the side of the adjacent railway track," said another passenger.

Uttar Pradesh relief commissioner G.S. Naveen Kumar said, "Buses have been arranged for the passengers along with alternative arrangements for transportation and all passengers have been evacuated from the spot."

North Central Railway (NCR) senior public relations officer Shashikant Tripathi said an eight-coach MEMU train departed from Kanpur to the accident site to carry passengers back to Kanpur so that further arrangements could be made to send them to their respective destinations.

The railways has issued the following helpline numbers:- Prayagraj: 0532-2408128, 0532-2407353, Kanpur: 0512-2323018, 0512-2323015, Mirzapur: 054422200097, Etawah: 7525001249, Tundla: 7392959702, Ahmedabad: 07922113977, Banaras City: 8303994411, Gorakhpur: 0551-2208088.

Besides, the following helpline numbers for Jhansi Rail Division have been released -: Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi Jn) -0510-2440787 and 0510-2440790. Orai -05162-252206, Banda-05192-227543, Lalitpur Jn - 07897992404.