From radical Islamists to Naxalites, how Indian Railways has become a soft target

"Any attack on the Indian Railways spreads a lot of panic. Not just Islamic terrorists, Naxalites and the ultras in the North Eastern states have also targeted the Railways on numerous occasions."

New Delhi, Nov 14: Months after Udaipur was struck by horror post the killing of a Hindu tailor by radical Islamists, another suspected incident of terror has been reported. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) stepped in to probe a case in which an attempt was made to blow up a railway track near Udaipur in Rajasthan.

The locals had said that a loud explosion was heard near the Oda railway bridge on the Slumber-Megha highway on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The track was damaged in this explosion. Report also suggested that three kilograms of dynamite was used to blow up the railway track. The explosion took place just two hours after an Ahmedabad-bound train left the area.

What we know so far:

Officials said that mining explosives were used to damage the track. Station House Officer Anil Kumar Vishnoi said that the local people informed them about the explosion in the morning. "We have found some explosives on the track and efforts are being made to identify those responsible," he said.

Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot said that the incident was worrying and added that he has ordered the Director General of Police Umesh Mishra to probe the matter thoroughly.

Following the explosion, the train was halted at the Dungarpur station. The Superintendent of Police, Udaipur, Vikas Sharma said that all angles including sabotage are being probed.

What the FIR says:

The Rajasthan Police said that the incident was an act of terror. An FIR filed in the case has sections pertaining to conspiracy and terror activities. The probe so far has revealed that the explosion was an act of terror and was attempted to create panic among the people.

The police found that at around 7 to 7.15 p.m. on Saturday, the locals of Oda village heard an explosion. Following this, the locals reached the track and were shocked to see dented railway tracks, explosives and steel waste.

The explosives were placed on the track in an attempt to endanger the nation's security by creating terror among the common people, the police said.

The FIR has been registered under section 16 (punishment for terrorist act) and section 18 (committing or intending terrorist act) of the UAPA Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Relevant sections of The Explosive Substance Act, sections 150, 151 and 285 of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Damage to Public and Property Act.

A soft target:

The 2006 train blasts in Mumbai are a classic example of how railways are a soft target for terror groups. In 2006, a series of seven bomb blasts took place on July 11 over a period of 11 minutes. The blast killed 209 people and injured over 700.

This led to a state of very high alert being declared in India's major cities The first to shut down was the western line of the Mumbai suburban railway which was resumed later.

In October this year, German authorities said that a malicious and targeted act of sabotage caused a three-hour halt to all rail traffic in northern Germany. The rail network were intentionally cut in two places causing a sudden halt to all rail traffic, both passenger and cargo in the northern part of the country.

In India, most of the railway sabotage incidents have been courtesy the Naxalites. Data showed that in 2016, there were 7 blasts, 3 instances of track tampering and 27 cases of sabotage. The following year in the first 40 days, there were 16 cases.

The police also learnt that the ISI had plotted to spread terror on the railway tracks. The NIA too had taken over a probe after explosives were discovered at a track in East Champaran which led to the derailment of the Patna-Indore Express.

In 2017, the agencies had found gelatine sticks next to the railway tracker in Mumbai. While in many cases it was found that the Naxalites were behind such incidents, in others it was learnt that the ISI was behind these incidents.

In August, the agencies suspected that the iron block fund fixed with concrete on the railway track at Kottikulam in Kerala may have been a sabotage bid. Timely action by the police ensured that nothing untoward took place.

Officials OneIndia spoke with say that the Railways is a soft target. It is the largest carrier of passengers and any attack on it spreads a lot of panic. Not just Islamic terrorists, Naxalites and the ultras in the North-Eastern states have also targeted the Railways on numerous occasions.

An attempt in Gujarat:

In February this year, a deliberate attempt had been made to derail a train on the Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar track. The incident came to light when a railway employee informed the rail officials that a large number of clips that fasten the rail tracks had been separated from the concrete sleepers.

The police learnt that the clips had been removed from the track to derail the trains intentionally. Around 234 clips at the Mated and Maroiya route were removed from the track and thrown into the bushes.

The incident took place a few days before the Godhra tragedy in which 59 Hindu pilgrims were burnt alive in a train. A Muslim mob attacked the train which was carrying karsevaks. The Muslims first pelted stones at the train and later torched four coaches of the train with many trapped inside.