A passenger train hit an LPG cylinder placed on the track in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district on Sunday. No passenger was hurt in the incident, the police said. Railway Police Force has not ruled out foul play, officials said.
The incident took place when Kalindi Express, travelling from Prayagraj to Bhiwani in Haryana, was running in Kanpur's Shivrajpur area.
The locomotive pilot saw an LPG cylinder on the tracks after which he applied emergency brakes, but even after that, the train hit the cylinder before coming to a complete halt.
Senior police officials of the Kanpur Police and Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) were rushed to the spot. A bottle of petrol and matchboxes were recovered the LPG cylinder.
"Railway authorities informed that the loco pilot of a train which goes from Prayagraj to Bhiwani saw a cylinder on the track and applied emergency brakes. The cylinder collided with it and fell on the side. After that, the train stopped for a long time. Then the RPF people came and informed the local police. All the senior officers and forensic teams are present here. One cylinder has been found in a damaged position and some objectionable material has also been found. All of it is being reviewed. Further investigation is underway. There is no disturbance in the route, trains are running on scheduled time…", the Additional Commissioner of Police of Kanpur Harish Chander was quoted as saying by ANI.
Last month, 22 coaches of the Sabarmati Express derailed in Kanpur after the engine hit an object placed on the tracks, triggering panic among the passengers.
"The engine of Sabarmati Express (Varanasi to Amdavad) hit an object placed on the track and derailed near Kanpur at 02.35 am today. Sharp hit marks are observed. Evidence is protected. IB and UP police are also working on it," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a post on X.