3 Railway Employees Arrested for ‘Homicide’ in Balasore Train Mishap

Three railway employees have been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday in relation to the Balasore train tragedy.

_{^{Three railway employees arrested in Odisha train accident investigation. (Photo: India Today)}}

In a significant development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three railway employees in connection with the Balasore train tragedy. The incident, which occurred on June 2, resulted in the deaths of over 250 passengers and caused injuries to more than 1,100 individuals.

The arrested individuals, namely Arun Kumar Mahanta, Md Amir Khan, and Papu Kumar, have been charged under sections 304 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and disappearing evidence of an offence, respectively. Arun Kumar Mahanta, who was also a member of the probe panel, had written a dissent note on the inspection report.

The CBI had taken over the investigation on June 6 after the crash disrupted train services on the busy route. This arrest follows Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s earlier statement that the “root cause” of the accident and those responsible for the “criminal” act had been identified.

Railway officials have raised concerns about possible sabotage and tampering with the electronic interlocking system as potential causes of the Balasore train accident. A recent report by the Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS) has highlighted human errors and lapses at multiple levels as the primary factors behind the tragic incident.

The report specifically mentioned a rear-collision between the Coromondel Express and a goods train due to lapses in the signalling-circuit-alteration process at the North Signal Goomty station. The report emphasized that reporting past red flags could have prevented the accident, shedding light on the need for improved safety measures.

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Toshika Chauhan