GUWAHATI, Jan 20 ? The passengers of the 5960 Dn Dibrugarh-Guwahati-Howarah Kamrup Express had a close shave when suspected anti-talk UPDS ultras triggered a blast on the track between Diphu and Nailalung in Karbi Anglong at around 1-40 am today derailing the engine and three coaches of the train. The Chief Public Relation Officer (CRPO) of the NF Railway, Leena Sharma informed that nobody was injured in the mishap although the blast created a crater of 2 metre long, 1.5 metre wide and one metre deep on the track.
The passengers of the 19-coach train were saved because two of the coaches which jumped rails were a parcel van and a luggage van while the other derailed coach was a second class general compartment having hardly any occupant at that hour in the night. Although some of the morning trains including Guwahati-Dimapur Jan Shatabdi, Lumding-Tinsukia Passenger, 4055 Dn Brahmaputra Mail had to be cancelled while some other trains were controlled because of the damage caused to the track due to the blast, the NF Railway engineering staff managed to restore the same by this evening.
An accident relief train from Lumding carrying medical personnel and other staff led by the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Lumding, AK Malhotra arrived at the blast site at 3-30 a.m. The Additional General Manager of the NF Railway, R Gopinathan Nayar along with other senior officials also visited the blast site which is about 215 km from Guwahati. The passengers of the ill-fated Kamrup Express were transhipped by buses to Lumding and then taken to Howarah by a special train from Guwahati Railway station in evening.
Passengers of other trains whose movements were affected because of the damage caused to the single broad gauge track were also transhipped to Guwahati. Police sources informed that the suspected UPDS militants detonated the explosive device through remote control under the engine of the train. However, as the train was at a low speed, the areas being marked restricted for trains because of presence of militants, it did not capsized but only jumped rails causing minor damage to the engine.
Meanwhile, Assam State Council of Communist Party of India (CPI) has strongly condemned the blast triggered under Kamrup Express in Karbi Anglong by an unidentified underground outfit. The state CPI feels that such kind of activities can never solve any problem and urge upon the outfit to come to the negotiating table to find a solution to their problem.