A shocking incident of stone pelting was reported on the newly launched Vande Bharat Express train in Kerala, informed officials.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on April 25.
According to Southern Railway officials, the incident was reported when the train was traveling between Tirunavaya and Tirur. The newly launched train was going to Thiruvananthapuram from Kasargod.
“No one was injured. The windshield of one coach was damaged. Police have registered a case. We have decided to strengthen train security,” said Southern Railway.
Attackers pelted stones against the windows of seats 62 and 63 of the C4 coach, cracking them. The Malappuram police have begun an investigation and are searching the area. The railway police will also register a case.
Officials of the Southern Railways are monitoring the situation and have decided to strengthen the security of the train for the next 15 days.
Kerala BJP chief K Surendran tweeted his strong condemnation of the incident and shared a video of the cracked windows. “Strongly condemn the stone pelting against Vande Bharat Express in Malappuram. This incident is extremely unfortunate and brings shame to all of Kerala. From day one, there were vile objections from some quarters. The police should find the culprits and take strict action,” he tweeted.
Earlier on April 6, another incident of stone pelting was reported at the Vande Bharat from Visakhapatnam.
In March also, an incident of stone pelting on Vande Bharat Express train was reported from West Bengal in which window panes of a coach of the high-speed train were damaged, Eastern Railway said in a statement. The incident was reported to have taken place near Farrakka in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
In January, stones were pelted on the Vande Bharat train in Visakhapatnam city of Andhra Pradesh during maintenance. The glass pane of a coach of Vande Bharat Express was damaged near Kancharapalem in Visakhapatnam.
