Rajdhani comes close to ramming into stationary Awadh Express

Senior officials who visited the site have blamed Monday’s incident on “human failure.” The cabinman at one of the stations had allegedly pulled the wrong lever, forcing the Rajdhani on to the wrong track. He is reported missing. Malda District Superintendent Debasish Roy told The Indian Express that it was sheer callousness of the railway staff which led to this incident. Sources said an Assistant Station Master has been suspended pending an inquiry. Train service on the sector were disrupted for over five hours.

When the Rajdhani stopped, the Awadh-Assam Express was just a couple of hundred yards away on the same track. In panic, passengers of both the trains got off before senior officials arrived and began an inquiry.

Only a couple of days ago, the Kanchenjunga Express bound for New Jalpaiguri had a miraculous escape after moving onto the Down track on which a goods train was running. After about three hours, the same day, the Katihar Express similarly moved onto the wrong track.

Informed railway sources, however, say that a section of railway staff in the Katihar division have been “desperately trying” to establish that the Gaisal train accident was not the result of any “human failure,” but an act of sabotage by people “outside the Railways.” In this particular stretch, there was another peculiar incident recently: 20 feet of railway tracks were found missing.