Odisha train tragedy: Dozen railway officials under CBI lens but none held so far

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reportedly trained its lens on around a dozen railway officials as it probes the possibility of “sabotage” leading to the three-train crash in Balasore, Odisha earlier this month.

Though the CBI and the railway officials are tight-lipped, sources say no evidence has been found so far to implicate any of the officials in the incident.

Also read: Odisha train tragedy: Jr Engineer Amir Khan not missing, but still under CBI scanner

Among those being questioned are station superintendent of Bahanga Bazar SB Mohanty and junior signal engineer Amir Khan.

“All cooperating”

“None of the officials interrogated by the CBI has been detained or arrested. They are cooperating with the investigation,” said CPRO, South Eastern Railway, Aditya Kumar Chaudhary.

He said the central agency has grilled around 12 officials posted in Soro section and at the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha ever since it took up the probe on June 6. However, the names of the officials being probed have not been divulged and they are being interrogated in an undisclosed place.

It is learnt that the CBI has seized several documents, computers, mobile phones, and other materials used by the officials. It also sealed a signal interlocking panel and relay room at Bahanaga Bazar station.

“It is very important for the Railways to know what led to the horrific accident. If the signal was deliberately tampered with, it should come to light,” said a railway official in Balasore.

Sabotage theory

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) is conducting a parallel probe into the accident that took over 290 lives on June 2.

The sabotage theory started doing the rounds as some senior railway officials, including the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Khurda, Rinkesh Roy, hinted at the possibility of a deliberate interference with the electronic interlocking system leading to the crash.

Also read: Odisha train accident: Station master, 4 signalling workers under CRS lens

A preliminary investigation found that the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express deviated from the main up line because the tracks at Point No. 17-A were set for an up-loop line where a goods train was standing. It rammed the goods train at full speed.

The data logged at the control panel surprisingly indicated that Point 17-A was set for a normal route, arousing suspicion about sabotage.