AMN / WEB DESK
An explosion occurred on a railway track in Udaipur in Rajasthan hours before the recently inaugurated Asarwa-Udaipur Express train from Ahmedabad was supposed to pass.
Police said, they were investigating all angles, including sabotage. Officials said, explosives were used to damage the tracks on Saturday night on Odha bridge near Kewda Ki Naal, which comes under the Jawar Mines police station of Udaipur.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the teams of the Anti-Terror Squad, National Investigation Agency, and Railway Protection Force are investigating the incident. He also said that the accused will be punished severely for carrying out the blast.
Rajasthan Police said that the Udaipur railway track explosion was an act of terror. An FIR registered in the case at hand carries sections providing for charges of conspiring in terrorist activities. A preliminary probe revealed that the Odha explosion was an act of terror and was attempted to create panic among people.
According to the FIR exclusively accessed by India Today, the police found that around 7 to 7:15 pm on Saturday, the locals of Oda village heard the sound of an explosion. Following this, the locals reached the railway track and were shocked to see the dented railway tracks, explosives, and steel waste.
On this track, train numbers 19703 and 19704, namely the Ahmedabad-Udaipur Asarwa train passed on a daily basis.
The FIR has been registered under section 16 (punishment for terrorist act) and section 18 (committing or intending terrorist act) of the UAPA Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Relevant sections of The Explosive Substance Act, sections 150, 151 and 285 of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Damage to Public and Property Act.