Team News Riveting
Balasore, June 6
Even as death toll in Friday’s deadliest train mishap in Balasore increased to 288, many passengers were reportedly killed due to electrocution.
The revelation came from the First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Government Railway Police (GRP) in connection with the incident caused due to collision of three trains. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the investigation from the local police.
A 10-member CBI team along with some Central Forensic Science Laboratory members reached the spot at Bahanaga station and started the investigation.
As per the procedure, the central agency took over the FIR registered by the Balasore GRP on June 3 under IPC sections 337, 338, 304A (causing death by negligence) and 34 (common intention), and sections 153 (unlawful and negligent action endangering lives of Railway passengers), 154 and 175 (endangering lives) of the Railways Act. It had re-registers the local police case as its own FIR and started the probe.
According to the GRP FIR, many bodies did not have any injury marks that indicated that the cause of death might be due to electrocution. Due to the collision, the overhead high-tension cable broke and fell on the track besides the derailed coaches and electrocuted many passengers in the process.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the mishap rose to 288 on Tuesday. Chief Secretary of Odisha Pradeep Jena said, “193 bodies were sent to Bhubaneswar, out of which 94 bodies were handed over in Balasore; while 1 body was handed over in Bhadrak.”
