Sriganganagar: Blast on railway track near border, passenger train narrowly escapes

A blast on a railway track near the international border in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district was reported on Tuesday night. The incident took place on the Anupgarh-Suratgarh railway line near village 50 GB under the Ramsinghpur police station jurisdiction.

The blast occurred at around 9:45 pm, nearly three-quarters of an hour after a passenger train heading from Anupgarh to Suratgarh had passed through the spot. Because the train had already passed, a major disaster was averted and all passengers remained safe.

Due to the intensity of the blast, two concrete sleepers beneath the track were badly damaged and a two-feet-deep crater was formed between the rail lines. Hearing the sound of the blast created an atmosphere of panic in the surrounding area.

Upon receiving news of the incident, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), CID, bomb disposal squad, and dog squad reached the spot along with railway teams. Security personnel sealed the entire area and launched a thorough probe into the explosives and causes of the incident.

Keeping passenger safety in mind, the railway administration has cancelled train services on the Anupgarh-Suratgarh section. According to officials, rail movement will be resumed only after complete track repair and safety inspection are finished.

Being a border area, security and intelligence agencies are minutely investigating whether anti-national forces or anti-social elements were involved behind this act.

Key developments

• Blast occurred on railway track near village 50 GB in Sriganganagar on Tuesday night.
• Major accident averted due to blast happening about 45 minutes after passenger train passed.
• Two concrete sleepers broken and two-feet-deep crater formed due to blast.
• Trains running on Anupgarh-Suratgarh route cancelled.
• Investigation of incident site ongoing by ATS, CID and bomb squad.