2010: Track record in trouble for Railways

CHENNAI: A failed attempt to sabotage express trains by placing fishplates on the track in Virudhunagar district on Monday morning is probably the first major case to be reported this year.However last year, Tamil Nadu witnessed a series of train sabotages since the blasting of tracks using crude bombs in Villupuram district. Though none were injured, it shook the entire State machinery, as the blast had occurred just a few days ahead of the classical Tamil conference in June last year.Interestingly, it was the timely intervention of a mail guard that prevented a tragedy and saved lives of over a 1,000 passengers travelling by Rockfort Express. Following information from T Rajasekaran, the guard of Salem-Chennai Express that had passed the spot just minutes before the explosion, the express train was stopped hardly 20 metres away from the blast site.After hearing an unusual sound and heavy jerk around midnight, the guard of Salem-Chennai Express immediately passed on the information to the nearest station master asking the latter to stop the approaching train.Investigations into the blast led to the discovery of pamphlets decrying the visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India, which were found at the spot. The police are yet to crack the case.It was followed by a series of attempts to derail trains on the Erode-Coimbatore section, by placing boulders on the track. Four persons from Bihar, who attempted to derail a goods train near Erode were booked under the National Security Act in this case. Notably, the arrest turned out to be the first case in the history of the railways that an accused was detained under the National Security Act for attempting to destroy railway property and endangering lives, officials claimed.Thereafter, two persons, who placed a cement slab on the railway track between Poovanur and Ulundurpet railway stations in Villupuram district with an intention of causing mass destruction to the train and passengers, were detained under the National Security Act in December.