Train hits stone placed on railway track in UP, no damage reported
Ballia (UP), Sep 28: The engine of a train hit a stone placed on the railway track in the Bairia area here on Saturday, officials said, adding that no damage was caused.
The incident assumes significance as it was a fresh one amid several cases of gas cylinders, pillars etc being found on railway tracks in Uttar Pradesh.
Public Relations Officer of the North Eastern Railway Ashok Kumar told PTI that on Saturday a stone was found on the railway track between on the Varanasi-Ballia-Chhapra rail section at 10.25 am.
He said the cattle guard of the engine of the 15054 Lucknow-Chhapra Express going from Lucknow to Chhapra (Bihar).
Kumar said that on seeing the stone placed on the track, the loco pilot applied emergency brakes.
He said that after inspection, the train resumed its journey and the loco pilot did not report any kind of damage in this incident.
SHO of the Bairia police station Ramayan Singh said the incident happened in front of Yadav Nagar of the Chand Diyar village before the Manjhi bridge on UP-Bihar border. He said that a passenger train had also passed through this route half an hour before the Lucknow-Chhapra Express train.
Meanwhile, Circle Officer (Bairia) Mohammad Usman said that at around 10.40 am on Saturday, about 300 metres before the Manjhi railway bridge, some sleeper coaches of the train got scratched due to the engine's safety guard hitting the stone in the middle of the track.
"On receiving the information, we immediately reached the spot with the police force and inspected it," he said, and added that the local police and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) are investigating the spot.
Prior to Saturday's incident, on September 22, two people were arrested in connection with the alleged derailment bid of the Naini Jan Shatabdi Express by placing six-metre-long iron pole on track between the Bilaspur Road and Rudrapur City railway stations on September 18 in Rampur, police said.
The driver of the Naini Jan Shatabdi Express averted a possible accident when he applied the emergency brakes on seeing the iron pole across the tracks near Uttarakhand's Rudrapur, officials said, adding it could be sabotage.
On September 22, a goods train driver spotted an empty LPG cylinder on the tracks, and applied emergency brakes to stop the train near the Prempur station in Kanpur, the second such incident in Uttar Pradesh this month.
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.
On August 17, the Sabarmati Express derailed between the Kanpur and Bhimsen stations in Uttar Pradesh, a Railway Board official had said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
