Another train sabotage? Gas cylinder found on railway track in UP; tragedy averted; see viral pic

In what could have been a devastating accident, a major tragedy was narrowly avoided when a gas cylinder was discovered lying across a railway track near the Prempur Railway Station on the Delhi-Howrah rail line in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur.

In a troubling escalation of rail sabotage attempts, yet another incident of attempted derailment has rocked Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. A gas cylinder was discovered lying on the tracks near the Prempur railway station, situated along the critical Delhi-Howrah rail line, on Sunday. This marks the third such incident within the month, intensifying concerns over the safety of the region's railways. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) promptly responded to the scene, with a full investigation now underway to uncover the culprits behind this reckless act.

The drama unfolded when a freight train, en route from Kanpur to Prayagraj, was traveling on a loop line. The locomotive's vigilant pilot noticed the cylinder after halting the train to allow an express to pass. Upon the shocking discovery, the pilot swiftly informed the control room, averting what could have been a catastrophic disaster.

This is not the first time Kanpur’s railways have faced sabotage. On September 9, a gas cylinder was placed on the tracks, targeting the Kalindi Express traveling from Prayagraj to Bhiwani, Haryana. Fortunately, disaster was again avoided as the express hit the cylinder near Kanpur, which was flung nearly 50 meters away upon impact. The near-miss occurred near Munderi village, between the Barrajpur and Bilhaur stations, along the Kanpur-Kasganj route.

This latest act of sabotage adds to growing concerns over railway safety in India as it comes amid a series of similar incidents and train derailment cases.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also recently said that any conspiracy to cause railway accidents will not last long and the government will soon unveil an initiative for the protection of the 1.10 lakh km railway network across the country.

Earlier, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that the railways is probing the incidents of derailment of trains due to placing of boulders and roads and rods on the railway track.