Five railway employees, including the station master of Bahanaga Bazar, are under investigation in connection with the three-train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district, which claimed 288 lives, according to official sources.
The four other employees were on duty at the time of the accident earlier this month and were responsible for signaling-related tasks.
Presently, the five employees continue to discharge their duties, and any future action will depend on the accident probe report prepared by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS).
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting a separate probe into allegations of criminal negligence that led to the accident at Bahanaga Bazar station on June 2.
Railway Ministry officials have suggested the possibility of manual tampering with the interlocking system, which turned the signal for the Coromandel Express to green, guiding it towards the loop line where it collided with a stationary goods train.
The interference with the interlocking system, an automated signaling system, is considered the major cause of the incident. “A total of five railway personnel are currently at the center of the probe. We expect a final report from the CRS soon,” said a senior rail official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
According to sources, three possible scenarios are being investigated: intentional tampering of the system, tampering due to error or mistake, or a consequence of ongoing maintenance work in the area.
Amidst the criticism from Opposition parties over the accident that left over 1,000 people injured, two rail workers’ unions have expressed their support for the national transporter. In a joint statement, the general secretaries of the All India Railwaymen’ Federation (AIRF) and the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) expressed their anguish over the politicisation of the train tragedy.
“We are deeply anguished to see how this train tragedy has been politicised, and attacks are being launched in social media and print media on railways’ performance. Each such attack is an affront to our sincerity and dedication to duty. Small amounts spent on ensuring safe conditions for frontline staff like loco pilots and track maintainers are being described as frivolous expenditure,” the statement read. The unions emphasised that the accusations reflect a “complete ignorance” of the working conditions of railway personnel who put themselves at risk in their line of duty. They mentioned the track man, loco pilot, and points persons as examples of dedicated workers who face challenging conditions to ensure safe operations.
