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Five individuals were detained for allegedly throwing stones at the Durg-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express during its trial run in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund district, officials reported on Saturday. The incident took place near Bagbahra railway station around 9 pm on Friday as the train was returning from Visakhapatnam to Durg.
The train, scheduled to commence regular service from Durg on September 16, had left Durg and passed through Raipur before reaching Mahasamund. It departed from Mahasamund at 7:10 am for the onward journey. On its return trip, some miscreants hurled stones at the train near Bagbahra, causing damage to the window panes of three coaches: C2, C4, and C9.
Stone Pelting Incident
"No one was injured in the incident," stated Praveen Singh Dhakad, inspector of the Railway Protection Force (Mahasamund). A train escorting party comprising four RPF personnel, led by an assistant sub-inspector, immediately sent an alert. Consequently, a team of security personnel was dispatched to the location.
The accused—Shiv Kumar Baghel, Devendra Chandrakar, Jitu Tandi, Lekhraj Sonwani, and Arjun Yadav—were apprehended. All are residents of Bagbahra. They have been charged under section 153 of the Railways Act of 1989 for endangering the safety of persons travelling on a railway by a willful act or omission.
Legal Actions and Connections
According to official sources, one of the arrested individuals, Shiv Kumar Baghel's sister-in-law is a Congress corporator in Bagbahra. The authorities are investigating if there is any political angle to this act of vandalism.
The Vande Bharat Express is set to be flagged off from Durg for its regular operations soon. This incident has raised concerns about the safety measures in place during trial runs and regular services.
This event underscores the importance of stringent security protocols for safeguarding public property and ensuring passenger safety during rail journeys. Enhanced vigilance and swift action by security forces are crucial in preventing such incidents in the future.
