A Thane court on Thursday denied anticipatory bail to two Central Railway engineers named in the FIR concerning the Mumbra train incident on June 9, which tragically claimed the lives of five passengers, reported the PTI.
The incident occurred when two trains — one bound for Kasara and the other for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus — passed each other on a sharp curve. Some commuters riding on the footboards fell onto the tracks after their backpacks accidentally brushed against one another, according to the police probe.
Following an investigation, the Thane railway police booked a senior section engineer and a section engineer under Sections 125(a) and 125(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which cover acts endangering the life or personal safety of others.
Five passengers had lost their lives in the accident.
Additional Sessions Judge G.T. Pawar stated that pre-arrest bail could not be granted at this stage. Advocate Baldev Rajput represented the engineers, while Additional Public Prosecutor Manisha Pawse and Investigating Officer ACP Sudhakar Shirsat opposed the applications, highlighting the seriousness of the charges. The railway engineers argued that overcrowding had caused the mishap, according to the PTI.
On November 1, the Government Railway Police (GRP) registered a case against Assistant Divisional Engineer Vishal Dolas, Senior Section Engineer Samar Yadav, and other railway staff allegedly responsible for track maintenance.
The two engineers told the court that the tragedy resulted from overcrowded trains and not from any negligence on their part.
Earlier, the prosecution had highlighted that a Railway report cited a passenger`s bag as the cause, but no bag was recovered during the `panchnama` (spot assessment).
Questioning the panchnama, Rajput said it was conducted two days after the incident, making it improbable that evidence would remain intact. The videos presented by the defence, he said, clearly showed bags at the site, reported PTI.
He also submitted records of 28 trains passing the same spot on the day of the incident, along with CCTV footage from nearby stations. Rajput rejected the prosecution`s claim that the bogie number 3 of the Kasara local train was not crowded, reported PTI.
(with PTI inputs)
