Container marked 145;explosive146; triggers panic at Howrah station

Two porters, who were dumping bags in the luggage compartment of the train, first noticed the abandoned container inside the compartment. They immediately informed the travelling ticket collectors.

Maniram Aich and Surai Hembrom, members of the railway bomb disposal squad, were informed and they came with sniffer dogs. The dogs sniffed something inside the box, and it was immediately removed from the compartment.

The railway police, along with RPF, cordoned off the area and requested people to stay away. The incident also led to suspension of some trains, B L Meena, superintendent of Railway Police said.

A thorough search, however, revealed no explosives inside the box. It was found after preliminary investigation that some empty shells were contained in the box, which was supposed to be delivered to Chandipur in Orissa.

Defence Ministry spokesman Group Captain R K Das claimed that the box was booked by an ordnance factory for Chandipur and contained no explosives.

8220;The box contains no explosives and poses no danger. Had it contained explosives, it would have been booked by road and not rail,8221; he said.

Holding the railways responsible for 8220;leaving the box uncared for8221;, he said there was no need to create a fuss over it.Railway officials said an inquiry has been started in this case.