Odisha train accident: CBI arrests 3 railway employees
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested three Indian Railways employees on Friday in connection with the Balasore triple-train accident in Odisha that left nearly 300 people dead. The arrested men are senior section engineer Arun Kumar Mohanta, section engineer Mohammad Amir Khan, and technician Pappu Kumar. They have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and destruction of evidence.
Why does this story matter?
On June 2, a Chennai-bound Coromandel Express train entered the passing loop instead of the main line at Bahanaga Bazar railway station and collided with a goods train. Due to the Coromandel Express's high speed, three of its 21 coaches derailed and crashed into the incoming SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express on the next track. The crash claimed the lives of 294 people.
Actions of these three lead to accident: Report
The CBI investigation revealed that the actions of these three led to the accident, as "they had knowledge" that their actions would result in this tragedy. However, it was not "intended," reports claimed, because if it had been, they would have been charged with murder. As such, they were charged under sections 304 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Arrest came after Commissioner of Railway Safety submitted report
Reportedly, the arrests came days after the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) submitted its report on the Balasore accident to the railway board on Wednesday. The investigation found faulty signaling caused by two botched repair works, one in 2018 and one hours before the disaster on June 2. Separately, the CBI was looking into the possibility of a criminal conspiracy in the accident.
CRS investigation found lapses at multiple levels
The CRS probe also discovered flaws at numerous levels, including incorrect labeling of wires inside the level-crossing location box, which went undetected for years. It claimed that if warnings had not been ignored, the tragedy could have been avoided. The Railways, however, did not make the CRS probe report public to ensure there was no "influence or interference" on the CBI's ongoing investigation.
50 bodies remain unclaimed almost a month after accident
Meanwhile, over 50 bodies still remain unclaimed, leaving families with no closure, according to reports. This is because many families are having difficulty identifying the bodies of their relatives, which are in various states of decomposition. All unidentified bodies have been stored at AIIMS in Bhubaneswar. Over 1,175 others were also injured in the accident, which is India's deadliest railway crash since 1995.
