Man arrested for allegedly trying to derail Patal Express train in UP's Lalitpur
Banda (UP), Oct 5: Police on Saturday arrested a man for allegedly trying to derail a train by placing iron rods on the railway track in Jakhoura police station area of Lalitpur district in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday night, a police official said.
On Thursday (October 3) night in Delwara railway station area, sparks started coming out of the engine of train number 12624 (Patal Express) as an iron rod was stuck in it. On the information given by the gateman, the loco pilot stopped the train, thus averting a major train accident.
Lalitpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Mustaque on Saturday said the station master of Delwara railway station had lodged a complaint with the Jakhoura police station on Friday stating that an unknown person had tried to derail a train by placing iron rods on the railway track on Thursday night.
The SP said taking cognisance of this complaint, an investigation was started and it was found that there is a place near the incident spot where the railway staff keep several iron rods and other items. A person named Satyam Yadav (32) used to steal iron rods from there and sell them at other places, he said.
Mustaque said the Jakhora police raided and arrested Yadav from his house on Saturday. Stolen iron rods and other items were recovered from his house, he added.
He said during interrogation, Yadav told the police that he was walking on the railway track on Thursday night after stealing iron rods. Suddenly the Patal Express train came and in a hurry he threw the iron rods on the railway track and ran away.
The incident assumes significance as it is a fresh one amid several cases of gas cylinders, pillars, boulders, stones and other objects being found on railway tracks in Uttar Pradesh.
A stone was found on the railway track between the Varanasi-Ballia-Chhapra rail section last month. On seeing the stone placed on the track, the loco pilot applied emergency brakes.
In another incident last month itself, a 16-year-old boy was apprehended for allegedly putting a fencing pillar on the Banda-Mahoba rail track, causing disruptions, the police said. The driver of the passenger train had to apply emergency brakes to stop the train after he noticed a concrete pillar on the tracks, the police added.
On September 22, two people were arrested in connection with the alleged derailment bid of the Naini Jan Shatabdi Express by placing a six-metre-long iron pole on track between the Bilaspur Road and Rudrapur City railway stations on September 18 in Rampur, the police said.
On September 8, an attempt was made to derail the Kalindi Express, heading towards Bhiwani from Prayagraj, by placing an LPG cylinder on the tracks. The train hit the cylinder before coming to a screeching halt.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
