Bhubaneswar: More than one and a half month after the terrible triple train crash near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district killed 296 passengers and maimed over 1,200, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told a court Thursday that the accident occurred on account of arbitrary swapping of circuit diagram in the repair works carried out at a level crossing (LC) near the accident spot.
In a submission made before the special court, the CBI, which is investigating the mishap, squarely blamed senior section engineer (signal in-charge) Arun Kumar Mahanta for using the circuit diagram of LC gate No. 79 to undertake repairs at LC gate No. 94 without the prior approval of senior divisional signal and telecom engineer.
“The typical circuit diagram of LC gate No. 79 was being used at the time of execution of wiring work being done at North Goomty of Bahanaga Bazar railway station, for changing the operation of LC gate No. 94 from 110 volt AC to 24 volt DC,” the CBI submitted before the court.
According to CBI, Mahanta was to ensure that testing, overhauling and carrying out alterations to the existing signal and interlocking installations were in accordance with the approved plan and instructions. “Further, it reveals since no such steps were taken by the accused (Mahanta), it caused the accident and in the said accident more than 296 passengers were dead and many more passengers were seriously injured,” the court noted citing the CBI submissions.
However, Mahanta disputed the CBI claims and told the court that he should not be held accountable for the miss (and the accident) since the supervision work in question was entrusted to some other persons.
He also said that the higher-ups bothered little to rectify the error at LC gate No. 94.
“Although LC gate No. 94 at KM 255/11-13 had not been working properly, the higher officials did not take ‘active action’ for addressing the issue,” Mahanta told the court.
The CBI had arrested Mahanta and two other railway officials July 7, 2023 in connection with its probe into the triple train accident case. The tragedy took place when the Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary freight train near Bahanaga Bazar station, and some of its derailed coaches collided with Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express, June 2.
A special CBI court in Bhubaneswar has rejected the bail application of Mahanta, noting that material submitted by the CBI prima facie shows his complicity in the case.
PNN & Agencies