New Delhi: The CBI has filed a chargesheet against three railway officials in connection with the Balasore train accident that occurred on June 2. The accident involved three trains, resulting in 296 casualties and over 1,200 injuries.
The central investigative agency had previously arrested the three railway officials - Senior Section Engineer (Signals) Arun Kumar Mahanta, Section Engineer Amir Khand, and Technician Pappu Kumar - who were all stationed in Balasore district. They were arrested on July 7 as part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic incident.
The train accident transpired when the Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train at the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district. As a result, several coaches of the Coromandel Express derailed and fell onto adjacent tracks, subsequently colliding with the oncoming Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express.
In the charge sheet submitted to the Special CBI court in Bhubaneswar, the CBI has invoked various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Railways Act against the accused officials. The charges include IPC section 304 Part II - culpable homicide not amounting to murder, IPC section 34 read with 201 - common cause read with destruction of evidence, and section 153 of the Railways Act - pertaining to railway-related offenses.
The CBI has alleged that Senior Section Engineer Arun Kumar Mahanta, responsible for signal operations, used the circuit diagram of level crossing gate number 79 while carrying out repair work at gate number 94 near Bahanaga Bazar station. This deviation from approved plans and instructions is central to the charges brought against him and the other accused officials.
The accused officials were entrusted with the critical task of ensuring that testing, overhauling, and alterations to signal and interlocking installations adhered to approved protocols, which they purportedly failed to do.
The chargesheet marks a significant development in the investigation into the Balasore train accident, shedding light on the alleged lapses and negligence that may have contributed to the tragic incident.