Driver hurt as blast derails goods train near Sirhind ahead of Republic Day

A blast took place late last night on the dedicated freight corridor linking Delhi and Amritsar, damaging nearly 60 feet of railway track near pole number 1208 between Sirhind and Mandi Gobindgarh, just days ahead of the Republic Day.

Though no casualties were reported, a goods train was derailed and its driver, identified as Anil Sharma, sustained minor injuries. Following the explosion, the railway authorities and local police rushed to the spot and launched an investigation. The damaged track was repaired and train movement restored.

Speaking to The Tribune, Rupnagar Range DIG Nanak Singh ruled out the use of RDX. He said district police teams immediately reached the site upon receiving information and began probing the incident from multiple angles.

He added that there was no major loss of life or property and the injured engine driver was out of danger. “The police are on high alert ahead of Republic Day. Every aspect of the incident is being examined thoroughly. We have initiated a probe and various agencies are in touch to identify the accused,” he said.

Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Shubham Agarwal said around 10 pm, a railway foot‑plating (patrolling) vehicle travelling from Mandi Gobindgarh towards Sirhind witnessed a low‑intensity explosion near village Khanpur, several kilometres from Sirhind railway station. The police, GRP, RPF and forensic teams from the district inspected the spot and an FIR has been registered.

Meanwhile, terrorist outfit Khalistan Zindabad Force claimed responsibility for the blast in a social media post, though the claim could not be independently verified.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal slammed the state government over “deteriorating” law and order in the state and termed the incident as a failure of intelligence agencies. He alleged no one felt safe in the state.