‘Pro-LTTE’ elements blast rail track

Three feet of tracks were blown off at Perani railway station in Villupuram district on Saturday early morning.

Passengers of the Tiruchirapalli-Chennai Rockfort Express had a narrow escape when suspected pro-LTTE elements blasted railway tracks at Perani railway station in Villupuram district in the wee hours on Saturday.

About three feet of tracks were blown off in the explosion when the train was coming towards the station at around 2:10 am. The station master cautioned the driver of the train,who applied emergency brakes averting a major train disaster,police and railway sources said.

Leaflets condemning the visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa were found from the spot,police said. Further,a wire from the blast spot was leading to a nearby irrigation pumpset. Investigations were on to ascertain the nature of the blast and the device used in the explosion,they said.

Train traffic was disrupted on the route following the explosion. Most of the trains coming to Chennai from other parts have been stopped or diverted,till normal services resumed after nearly six hours. Still,several trains to Chennai were running late by more than five hours.

Police said a team has been formed to nab the persons involved in the incident.

Meanwhile,Tamil Nadu Police ruled out possibility of involvement of Maoists in the incident.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that miscreants hailing from that area had used locally available explosive materials to carry out the blast and Maoists were in no way connected to the incident,” a release issued by the state police said.

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Considering the importance of the incident,the case has been transferred to intelligence wing of the state police,it said.

Apart from patrolling,police have been advised to enhance security on railway stations,trains and other important places in the state,the release added.

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