Explosion damages railway track in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district
Authorities are investigating a suspected attempt at train sabotage after a blast damaged the Anupgarh-Suratgarh track on Tuesday night.
A powerful explosion damaged the Anupgarh-Suratgarh railway track in northern Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar district on Tuesday night, according to The Hindu. The blast occurred near 50 GB village at approximately 9.45 pm, about 45 minutes after a passenger train had passed through the area.
The explosion shattered two concrete railway sleepers beneath the tracks, dislodged track clips, and created a crater two feet deep. Villagers living about 200 metres from the site heard the blast and informed the police, who arrived at the scene at 11 pm.
Sriganganagar Superintendent of Police Harishankar Yadav said teams from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had arrived to join the probe. Forensic experts are collecting samples from the site to determine the nature of the explosion and the substances used.
The North-Western Railway cancelled train services on the route on Wednesday as a precaution. While some reports indicate four services were cancelled, others state rail traffic was suspended until 9 am on Wednesday.
The investigation is ongoing to determine the intensity of the blast and those responsible for the attempt to damage the track, Superintendent of Police Yadav said.