RAIPUR: In a shocking development reported from Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh, five people including a relative of a ward councillor linked with the Congress party have been apprehended by Railway Police Force (RPF) after they reportedly pelted stones on a Vande Bharat Express which was on a trial run.
The incident unfolded on Friday evening, September 13, when the express train was returning from Vishakhapatnam and was on its way to Durg railway station during a trial run. The accused pelted stones on the train near Bagbahara, damaging the window glasses of three of its coaches.
Swinging into action, a team of the RPF soon apprehended five people in connection with the stone pelting incident. The accused were later booked under section 153 of the Railway Police Act and subsequently produced before a special court from where they have been sent in judicial custody till September 17.
According to the reports, the nabbed accused have been identified as Devendra Chandrakar, Jitu Tandi, Arjun Yadav Lekhraj Sonwani, and Shiv Kumar Baghel, brother of one of the congressman of Khallari assembly constituency. One of the family member of the accused Shiv Baghel is also a ward member linked to the Congress party.
Meanwhile, the incident prompted sharp reaction from the local Member of Parliament, Roopkumari Chaudhary who expressed her anguish over the stone pelting on the premiere train. “It’s a fateful incident which reflects the frustrated mentality. It further showcases the strained mentality of those working on an anarchist agenda across the country, said Chaudhary.
“Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is serious on expanding the railway facility across Chhattisgarh while miscreants are damaging the facility meant for the people of the state, this should be condemned in strongest words and should not be tolerated at any cost,” she added.
It is worth mentioning here that this is not the first time that stones have been pelted on the premiere express fitted with world class facilities and similar incidents of stone pelting have also been surfaced from separate states of the country as well, suggesting a pattern aimed at disrupting the flagship initiative of the government providing faster and comfortable travel experience to the commuters.
Notably, Prime Minister Modi will virtually flag off the Durg-Vishakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express on Monday evening, September 16. The train will cover a distance of 565 kilometers in 8 hours cutting three hours of precious travel time between the two cities.
