Kannur ∙ Prasonjit Sikdar (40), a native of Bengal 24 South Pargana, was arrested in the incident of burning one of the coaches of the Executive Express which was stopped at the railway station. North Region IG Neeraj Kumar Gupta said the man, who lived by begging, boarded the train and set it on fire due to frustration and mental stress of not having money at hand.
So far, no evidence has been received to show that he is connected to the Elathur train robbery case. Nor was it discovered that any substance such as petrol or diesel was used. The IG also said that the fire was started using a match that he had in his possession as a smoker.
The 17th coach of the train which was stopped on the 8th track of Kannur railway station was set on fire around 1.30 am on Thursday. He was taken into custody on the day of the incident based on the statements of an eye witness in the case registered by the Railway Police.
Under the supervision of Kannur City Police Commissioner Ajith Kumar, Asst. The inquiry and scientific tests were conducted by a team led by Commissioner TK Ratnakumar. After a medical examination, the accused was produced before the magistrate and remanded. An identification parade will be held the next day.
NIA to inquire: Minister of Railways
New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the NIA has been asked to investigate the Kannur train fire. The culprits of the Kannur and Elathur train fires will not be spared. These incidents are considered very serious. He said he is not ready to compromise on passenger safety.
Vandebharat trains will be available to all states in India by this month. After that, more Vande Bharat inter-state services will be started, the minister said. The Minister said that he plans to connect 200 cities of the country through Vande Bharat.
English Summary: Investigation into the cause of the Kannur train fire
