The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made its first arrests in the Balasore train accident case that occurred on June 2. The agency arrested three railway personnel, namely Senior Section Engineer (signal) Arun Kumar Mahanta, Section Engineer Mohammed Amir Khan, and Technician Pappu Kumar, all stationed in Balasore district.
The CBI invoked sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with Section 153 of the Railways Act, 1989, for the arrests.
The Railways Ministry, in collaboration with the Odisha Government, had requested the CBI’s involvement, leading to the registration of the case on June 6, 2023. The initial registration of the case took place at Balasore GRPS in Odisha’s Cuttack district on June 3, 2023.
The tragic train accident occurred near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, claiming the lives of 293 individuals. Of the total casualties, 287 individuals lost their lives at the scene or were declared brought dead at hospitals, while six others succumbed to their injuries later.
Additionally, over 1,000 people sustained injuries in the accident, which involved the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, and a stationary goods train.
A recent high-level inquiry conducted by the Railways attributed the primary cause of the Balasore train accident to “wrong signalling” and identified multiple lapses in the signalling and telecommunication (S&T) department. The report emphasised that past red flags could have prevented the tragedy if they had been reported. It also highlighted the need for better communication between the S&T staff and the station manager at Bahanaga Bazar to address unusual switch behaviour.
The enquiry report also revealed that the non-supply of the approved circuit diagram for the replacement work at Bahanaga Bazar station’s level crossing gate 94 resulted in incorrect wiring.
Similar incidents of wrong wiring and cable faults were cited, including an incident at Bankranayabaz station in the Kharagpur Division of the South Eastern Railway on May 16, 2022.
The CBI’s arrests and the ongoing investigation aim to uncover the facts surrounding the Balasore train accident and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
