Assam: IED blast on railway track disrupts train services
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Kokrajhar (PTI): Railway services across Lower Assam and parts of north Bengal were disrupted early on Thursday after unidentified miscreants detonated a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) on a railway track in Kokrajhar district, officials said.
The explosion took place around five kilometres from Kokrajhar railway station on the route towards Salakati after midnight, an official said.
"The blast ripped apart nearly three feet of railway line with fragments of the damaged track found strewn several metres away," he added.
Kokrajhar Senior Superintendent of Police Pushpraj Singh said there were no reports of any casualties or derailment in the incident.
"The damage was limited to a short portion of the track, which was promptly repaired. Train movement has resumed now," he added.
Train operations were suspended overnight, affecting several Up and Down trains in Lower Assam and northern West Bengal till around 8 am, another official said.
Railway and security personnel conducted thorough inspections of the affected section before restoring full services.
Authorities have intensified security along the route, and launched an investigation to identify and apprehend those involved in the blast.
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, in a statement, said the blast took place around 1 am near Kokrajhar station under Alipurduar Division.
"When a goods train was passing between Salakati and Kokrajhar, the train manager reported a heavy jerk, after which the train was stopped. On checking, it was found that there was damage on the track and sleepers due to a suspected bomb blast," he added.
State Police, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and intelligence authorities are investigating the matter, Sharma said.
"The track was restored at 5.25 am and normal train services resumed. Around eight trains underwent detention due to the incident," he added.
After the incident, patrolling has been intensified in the section, the CPRO added.
STORY | Assam: IED blast on railway track disrupts train services
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 23, 2025
Railway services across Lower Assam and parts of north Bengal were disrupted early on Thursday after unidentified miscreants detonated a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) on a railway track in Kokrajhar… pic.twitter.com/uBQSLu9Ztg
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
