Following the conclusion of the CBI remand period, three accused railway officials involved in the Balasore train disaster have been sent to judicial custody by a special court. The individuals in the inquest are Senior Section Engineer (Signal) Arun Kumar Mahanta, Section Engineer Mohammed Amir Khan, and Technician Pappu Kumar. These officials, who have been suspended by the Railways, appeared before the CBI Special Court on Friday. Their arrest had been carried out by the CBI on July 7.
On July 7, the special court granted the CBI a five-day remand period for the accused, who are being investigated in the case. Later, on July 11, at the request of the investigating agency, the court extended the remand period for an additional four days. The next hearing is scheduled for July 27.
The three accused individuals have been charged under IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence), as well as Section 153 of the Railways Act.
While the CBI is yet to submit its report on the case, the inquiry report conducted by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), South Eastern Circle, has indicated that the accident occurred due to “lapses” in the alteration of the signalling circuit.
The tragic incident, which took place on June 2, involved the Coromandel Express colliding with a stationary freight train at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district. As a result, some of the derailed coaches collided with the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express, resulting in the loss of 293 lives and over 1,200 injuries.
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