A tragic incident at Bihar’s Barauni Junction station has led to a probe into the circumstances surrounding the death of a railway worker, with a preliminary inquiry suggesting poor coordination between two pointsmen.
The accident occurred on the morning of November 9, when Amar Kumar, a railway worker, was tragically crushed to death during a shunting operation after failing to receive proper signals from Pointsman Mohammed Suleman. CCTV footage and witness statements have reportedly revealed that Suleman gave a wrong signal to the loco pilot, leading to Kumar being caught between the engine and the power car of the 15204 Lucknow-Barauni train.
The train had arrived at the station at 8:10 am, and both Suleman and Kumar were tasked with detaching the engine. During the operation, Kumar got stuck in the space between the engine and the power car. The tragic chain of events continued as the loco pilot, upon noticing the alarm raised by onlookers, reportedly exited the train and fled the scene without taking any action to reverse the engine or stop the train, further exacerbating the situation.
Almost two hours later, the engine and power car were separated, and Kumar’s body was recovered.
Following the incident, Kumar’s family has demanded that legal action be taken against Suleman for his alleged role in the accident. However, Suleman has defended himself, claiming that it was the loco driver who was at fault. In a written submission, Suleman stated that after disconnecting the engine and the power car by detaching the centre buffer coupler, the engine moved slightly away. He added that Kumar went to close the coupler, but the driver reversed the engine without any hand signal from him, thus contributing to the fatal accident.
The railway authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident, with a full report expected to be released soon. Meanwhile, this tragic event has raised serious concerns about the coordination and safety protocols during such operations.
Sources By Agencies
