Blast at railway track in Patiala was attempted detonation, killed operator: Punjab Police

A blast that took place at a dedicated freight corridor railway track near the Shambhu area in Punjabs Patiala was an attempted detonation, a senior police officer said on Tuesday. We found that it was not a low intensity explosion but an attempted detonation, the SSP said.

A blast that took place at a dedicated freight corridor railway track near the Shambhu area in Punjab's Patiala was an attempted detonation, a senior police officer said on Tuesday. The person who was trying to carry out the detonation on Monday has died, Patiala SSP Varun Sharma said. The blast took place near the Shambhu-Ambala rail track. Police earlier said that an unidentified body, which was blown into pieces, was recovered from the spot. Parts of the body were found strewn on the stretch of the rail track. Initially, it was considered a low-intensity blast. However, investigation has revealed that it was an attempted detonation, according to police. The explosion occurred near Bothonia village at around 10 pm at the rail track dedicated for freight trains, police said. The explosion also caused some damage to the track, leaving a small crater underneath the railway line. Meanwhile, a Government Railway Police officials said repair work on the railway track has been undertaken, and rail traffic has been restored. ''Late night, we had received information about a low intensity explosion at a railway track near Shambhu-Haryana border. Immediately, I, along with the deputy inspector general of police and other senior officials, rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. ''We found that it was not a low intensity explosion but an attempted detonation,'' the SSP said. During the attempt, the person who was trying to carry out the detonation died, and his body has been recovered, he said. Police said they have recovered a SIM card from the spot. ''After getting whatever scientific evidence including a SIM card from the spot, police have launched technical investigation,'' Sharma said. ''We expect that we will soon unravel the whole conspiracy,'' he said. He further said the Government Railway Police, the Railway Protection Force and other agencies are involved in investigation. Following the blast, a forensic team, a bomb disposal squad and other agencies had reached the spot. It marks the second such incident in the past three months. Earlier in January, a blast on a dedicated freight corridor railway track in the Fatehgarh Sahib district's Sirhind had damaged the engine of a train and left a loco pilot injured.