New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed charges against three arrested railway officials for alleged culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing disappearance of evidence, as part of the probe into the deadly train accident in Balasore, Odisha that killed 294 people in June.
The mishap at Bahanaga Bazar railway station involved the Coromandel Express, the Yashwantpur-Howrah Express, and a goods train, on June 2.
The accused officials, who are now facing charges in connection with the mishap, have been identified as Arun Kumar Mahanta, who held the position of Senior Section Engineer (Signal) and was in charge at Balasore, Md Amir Khan, Senior Section Engineer (Signal) in Soro, and Pappu Kumar, a technician in Balasore.
These individuals were taken into custody on July 7 and are currently in judicial custody.
The charges filed against them encompass several sections of the law, including Section 304(Part II) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
In addition to this, they are facing charges under Section 34 read with Section 201 of the IPC, relating to causing the disappearance of evidence of an offence with common intention.
Furthermore, they have been charged under Section 153 of the Railways Act, 1989, for endangering the safety of persons traveling by railways through willful acts or omissions.
The CBI’s involvement in this case began on June 6, following a request from the Ministry of Railways, with the consent of the Odisha government, and further orders from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India.
Initially registered at Balasore Government Railway Police Station (GRPS) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) Cuttack, Odisha, the investigation is ongoing.
Authorities are actively exploring the possibility of a larger conspiracy and the involvement of other individuals in this incident, as stated by a CBI official.
The developments in this case will continue to be closely monitored as further details emerge during the ongoing investigation.