Two days after a fire was reported on the Howrah-Raxaul Mithila Express triggering panic among the people, a CCTV footage has emerged that showed a person deliberately throwing an object at the Howrah Station in West Bengal, which had immediately caught fire.
The one minute 59-second footage also showed that police personnel and other people gathering at the spot immediately to douse the fire on the object, which started during the peak hours at the railway station. Authorities now believe it was an orchestrated sabotage to cause panic and disrupt operations at the station.
The officials are now carrying out a probe to find more about the suspect in the CCTV footage. Additionally, security remains tightened at the Howrah Station to foil any further such attempts.
Coming to the fire at the Mithila Express, the incident occurred when the train was on the platform number 8 at the Howrah Station. The fire was detected near the bathroom area of the LS Second Class (Unreserved) coach, but it was doused quickly using a couple of fire extinguishers.
'Sabotage attempts by anti-social elements'
Later, the Indian Railways said the recent fire incidents on trains are likely sabotage attempts by anti-social elements to trigger panic and disrupt rail operations, and harm the passengers.
In a statement on Wednesday, the railways said the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and other relevant agencies are now working to investigate the matter and action will be take accordingly.
"Railway staff demonstrated promptness and brought the situation under immediate control, thereby averting a major disaster," the railways said, while talking about the fire on the Mithila Express. "The preliminary circumstances suggest that certain anti-social elements are attempting to jeopardise passenger safety and sow fear and disorder within the railway system. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and relevant agencies are conducting serious investigations into all these matters."
