The recent railway accidents have been termed ‘serious in nature’ but there is no visible terror angle in recent derailments, sources from Indian Railways told CNN-News18.
“Threat to the railways is the biggest but we have managed successfully. After the Farhatullah Ghori threat, we are reporting all incidents of railway accidents and sabotage,” the sources said.
According to intelligence inputs, Farhatullah Ghori, the Pakistan-based terror mastermind behind the 2002 Akshardham temple attack and Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe blast, has sent a message to terror sleeper cells in India, urging them to carry out attacks on trains, petroleum pipelines, and Hindu leaders.
“In all the cases worked out so far where people have been arrested under Section 150 Railway Act and investigations done by Government Railway Police (GRP), one thing has been clear… There is no Muslim terror angle in recent accidents,” the aforementioned people said.
“We have worked out 70 out of 80 cases and in only one case Muslim terror angle emerged,” they said.
They also said that railway accidents have risen by 7% in the last one year but they attributed it to ‘deliberate attempts by people to have fun’.
In a recent case, the son of a village sarpanch placed a large railway sleeper on the tracks. After investigation, it was revealed that he did so in hopes of gaining fame and becoming a prominent politician following the potential accident.
Another factor is the presence of railway construction material scattered around the tracks, which leads local residents to attempt such stunts to prove themselves, the sources said.
With nearly 70,000 kilometres of railway tracks, people are engaging in various activities, including economic pursuits, around these areas, they added.
They said that they have observed that a lack of public entertainment options leads young people, aged 20 to 22, to gather around railway tracks where they drink alcohol. After drinking, some of them attack Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, or Rajdhani trains to see how much damage they can cause and also place bets on who can cause most damage.
They also highlighted that the theft of unauthorized goods from railway tracks or nearby areas is common. Often, thieves, burdened with stolen heavy goods, either meet accidents due to high-speed trains or abandon the goods on the tracks, causing damage and potential derailments.
They said that Railways continues to focus on safety and since the drivers are ‘old school’ they drive carefully since they ‘know everything’ and ‘can stop train well in advance’.
They stop the train, take pictures, remove barriers, and inform the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to resume operations. Although emergency braking can sometimes cause derailments, in most cases, they can see the track for up to two kilometres.
What Cases Have Railways Come Across
So far, there has been no evidence of a mass murder angle. Typically, the cow catchers at the front of railway engines are effective at clearing obstructions, as they are designed to hit and remove goods before they reach the train.
The threat of terrorism has become more serious following Farhatullah Ghori’s statement. He called upon his followers to damage India’s railways saying that it was a vital lifeline for India. His statement in mid-July was pivotal, sources said, coupled with an increase in incidents during July and August.
“ This prompted renewed investigations to determine if these incidents were linked to serious threats. Four visible case came into picture where a possible terror angle was involved out of 126 cases,” they said.
“Following Farhatullah Ghori’s threat, we are extensively using drones for surveillance. We have instructed that every case be reported and handled with utmost seriousness,” the sources added.
“Last year, on December 6, an iron piece was placed on a train track in Khurja on the Babri demolition day. The same incident occurred again on December 9. UP Police are investigating the case, and they have suggested a theory of revenge by a railway staffer,” the sources said.
Sources said in one case, a scooter tire rim was attached to the railway track to cause maximum damage. Another incident near Kanpur involved placing an iron rod on the Jhansi-Kanpur line, resulting in damage to the cow catcher.
“These four cases are being taken seriously,” they added.
“We need to fence the tracks completely as soon as possible to prevent both animal-related incidents and to enhance safety”.
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