TMC condemns stone pelting at Vande Bharat Exp, demands probe

KOLKATA: In the wake of the incident of stone pelting at Vande Bharat Express at Malda on Monday, following which the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) filed an FIR, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) called for a thorough investigation and questioned whether it was a conspiracy since similar incidents had allegedly occurred in Uttar Pradesh earlier.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Tuesday took to his Twitter handle and wrote that the party strongly condemns the incident. He highlighted that previously such stone pelting at the Vande Bharat Express occurred in Uttar Pradesh thrice. He suggested that statements condemning the incident at Malda should also highlight the UP incident.

Ghosh further went on to question whether this was a "pre-planned conspiracy to provoke cheap politics" and demanded that these incidents must undergo a thorough investigation. He alleged that the incident in Bengal could be a conspiracy to create a negative campaign against this state.

According to him, the pattern of conspiracy is apparent since firstly stones were thrown and then statements were made, and subsequently "dirty politics" followed. He termed it as a well-planned script and questioned, "Who is trying to damage Vande Bharat? The incident occurred at about 6 pm on Monday as the train was returning to Howrah from New Jalpaiguri (NJP). The stone pelting resulted in the breaking down of a glass door. Compartment C13 of the train was also damaged and the sensor automated closing door started malfunctioning. Following the incident, according to a railway official, more RPF personnel were allocated inside the train to ensure passenger safety. Meanwhile, complaint of stone pelting on Vande Bharat Express was reported from New Jalpaiguri. Allegedly, stones were pelted on the NJP-bound Vande Bharat Express before entering the NJP station on Tuesday. Windows of C-3 and C-6 compartments were allegedly damaged.