Jaipur: An explosion at a railway track near Ramsinghpur in Sriganganagar district around 9.45 pm Tuesday shattered two concrete-and-steel sleepers, damaging the rails and leaving a crater about 2.5 feet deep. The blast occurred barely 75 minutes after the Anupgarh-Suratgarh passenger train had passed through the stretch, raising fears that a moving train could have been targeted.Railway officials, police and security agencies rushed to the spot after residents heard the explosion and alerted the railway gatekeeper. The damaged section was cordoned off and train movement on the stretch was suspended as a precaution. Railway officials said efforts were under way to restore normal movement on the route.
Bikaner IG Om Prakash and district SP Hari Shankar inspect the railway track on Wednesday where the explosion occurred in Ramsinghpur in Sriganganagar district.A damaged portion of the railway track with exposed steel reinforcement from the slab at the site of the explosion in Sriganganagar district.
A massive search operation conducted throughout Wednesday failed to yield any identifiable remnants of an explosive device, like charred wires, batteries or other components. State police are awaiting forensic examination to establish whether a chemical explosive was used and determine the nature of the blast.The incident raised security concerns given Ramsinghpur’s location, around 60 km from the India-Pakistan international border. The concerns were heightened by an incident on Oct 12, when Rajasthan Police intercepted a Pakistani drone that dropped a consignment containing heroin, 6 kg of RDX configured into an improvised explosive device (IED) and 600 rounds of ammunition in Sriganganagar district.Investigators, however, said there is no established link between the two incidents so far.Following the explosion, IGP (Bikaner) Om Prakash was camping at the site and overseeing the investigation. He told TOI that the probe was under way from all angles. “A case has been registered at Ramsinghpur police station by the Railway Protection Force (RPF). Forensic experts have collected samples from the impact zone,” Prakash said.Police sources said sabotage could not be ruled out, although investigators have not established the cause of the explosion or whether an explosive device was used.The blast shattered the concrete sleepers, exposing their internal steel reinforcement and disturbing the surrounding track bed. The immediate impact zone was estimated to be around 15-20 cm across, while fragments of stones from the track bed were reportedly thrown nearly 40 feet away.Investigators are examining the possibility that stones were removed from beneath the tracks and an explosive device placed under the sleepers. However, this remains an unconfirmed theory. The FSL examination is expected to establish whether chemical substances were used.BOXConcrete railway sleepers were shattered, exposing several strands of their internal steel reinforcementThe damaged sleeper lies broken beneath the rail, with a visible gap where the concrete has fracturedThe surrounding ballast stones were displaced, exposing sections of the track bedA heavy, curved metal railway fastening component was found detached and lying among the stonesThe damage concentrated around a small impact zone, estimated at 15-20 cmThe blast site was cordoned with yellow police tape as FSL examined the damaged stretchInvestigators examined the damaged sleepers, exposed metal reinforcement and surrounding track bed for forensic evidence.Massive search on Wednesday yielded no identifiable IED remnants, including wires or batteries.
