Balasore train accident: CBI acts on detained railway officials, new details surface

Three railway workers were previously detained in relation to the Balasore train catastrophe, which left about 290 people dead and several hundred injured. The officials have now been charged by the CBI.

The Crime

Arun Kumar Mahanta, Md. Amir Khan, and Pappu Kumar, three railway employees, have been charged with culpable homicide that does not constitute murder and evidence destruction.

Flashback to July

The three railway workers were detained in July, a month after several trains crashed in Odisha’s Balasore due to what may have been a signal malfunction, killing almost 290 people in the deadliest train crash in Indian Railways history. The CBI detained the three individuals for their roles in the accident: technician Pappu Kumar, section engineer Mohammad Amir Khan, and senior section engineer Arun Kumar Mahanta. They were all detained in accordance with Sections 304 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code.

VIDEO | Aerial view of the accident site in Odisha's Balasore district where a train crash involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train occurred yesterday evening. #OdishaTrainTragedy pic.twitter.com/187XQOofdN

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 3, 2023

More on the mishap

A Coromandel Express, a Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express travelling in opposing directions, and a cargo train parked at Balasore’s Bahanaga Bazar railway station were all involved in the multiple train accidents.