RPF, GRP initiate probe into Jalgaon train tragedy

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) have jointly initiated an inquiry into the Jalgaon train tragedy in which 13 persons lost their lives, officials said on Thursday.

Thirteen passengers of the Mumbai-bound Pushpak Express, who got off the train after an alarm chain-pulling incident, were run over by the Karnataka Express heading from Bengaluru to Delhi on the adjacent tracks in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on Wednesday evening.

“RPF and GRP initiated an inquiry after the tragedy on Wednesday to find out what caused passengers to pull the alarm chain and alight the Pushpak Express,” Swapnil Dhanraj Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Central Railway, said.

Asked if the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will also investigate the incident, Nila said, “The order for a CRS inquiry hasn’t been issued yet.”

Railway sources from Central Railway Zone said that a Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) inquiry has also been started in which senior railway officials of Central Railway Zone headquarters are looking into the cause of the tragedy.

However, Nila said that he is not aware of any HAG inquiry.

Initial reports suggested that a rumour of fire caused panic among Pushpak Express’ passengers who alighted and waited at the adjacent track for a few minutes when the speeding Karnataka Express mowed many of them down.

The Railway Ministry clarified that no spark or smoke emanated from any part of the coach.

“We are trying to find out who spread the rumour and what caused the passengers to come out of the train,” a railway official said.