Bhubaneswar, India, 12th July 2023: A top official has confirmed that at least seven railway employees, including three who were arrested by the CBI, have been suspended due to their negligence, which resulted in a triple train collision in Odisha. The tragic incident occurred near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Balasore district on June 2, claiming the lives of 293 people and injuring over 1,200 others.
Anil Kumar Mishra, the General Manager of South Eastern Railway, expressed to reporters that had the officials been vigilant, the accident could have been prevented. He further stated that the railway administration has suspended a total of seven employees, three of whom were arrested by the CBI. According to regulations, an employee who has been arrested remains suspended for 24 hours.
Earlier, the CBI had successfully captured three individuals: Arun Kumar Mahanta, a senior Section Engineer specializing in signals, Mohammed Amir Khan, a Section Engineer, and Pappu Kumar, a Technician. They have now been granted an additional four-day remand by the CBI starting from Wednesday. Following the completion of their initial five-day remand, the three employees were presented in the CBI-designated court.
An investigation conducted by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), South Eastern Circle, revealed that the accident occurred due to errors in the alteration of the signalling circuit at the North Signal Goomty of the station.
On June 2, the Coromandel Express, bound for Howrah, collided with a stationary goods train, causing significant damage to its coaches. Simultaneously, a few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, passing by at that moment, were also toppled by the impact.