Locals’ involvement suspected, 20 taken into custody for interrogation

LUCKNOW: Suspecting involvement of locals in damaging the railway track near Kankaha railway station in Mohanlalganj, the city police on Sunday took at least 20 people into custody for interrogation.

Preliminary police probe, however, has ruled out the possibility of involvement of any terrorist organisation or theft angle in the incident.

Cops said that some locals were trying to create panic among people by repeating the act in the last four months.

“We have brought some people from villages near Kankaha railway station to the police station to quiz them about the matter as the probe so far has confirmed involvement of locals in the incident,” said SN Rai, inspector, Mohanlalganj police station.

He said that the railways’ technical team had assessed that the two big cuts on the railway track were made using a handheld blade or cutter.

According to the technical team, these cuts could not have interrupted the movement of trains as the tracks were tightened with screw plates, which hold a track firmly even if it is being cut, said Rai.

The findings clearly suggested that the railway track was damaged to create panic, he added.

“We have prepared a list of mischievous elements of nearby villages. We are examining their movement and locations in the past two-three days,” the inspector said, adding, “The role of a local mining mafia is also suspected in the incident and further probe may confirm it.”

On Saturday, a railway keyman, Deepu Kumar, had spotted two big cuts on the railway track. He informed the control-room as the cuts were different from regular cracks that occur due to change in temperature. The first cut was 2.3 cm deep while the other was less than 1 cm deep.

The railway track on Kankaha-Mohanlalganj section was also targeted on October 2, 2015 by miscreants who took away about 50 cm of the track.