3 Railway personnel Arrested by CBI, nearly a month after the Odisha train crash tragedy

Three employees of the Indian Railways were apprehended today by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to the tragic train incident that occurred in Balasore, Odisha last month. The accident claimed the lives of more than 293 individuals and left over 1,000 individuals injured. The CBI, while investigating the case, was exploring the possibility of a criminal conspiracy behind the accident.

The arrested individuals, namely Arun Kumar Mahanta, Md Amir Khan, and Pappu Kumar, have been formally charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder as well as destruction of evidence.

According to sources, the actions undertaken by these three individuals led to the occurrence of the accident. They are being charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder due to their awareness that their actions could result in such a tragedy.

According to the Commissioner of Railways Safety (CRS), who has been investigating the accident, human error by workers in the signalling department was identified as the cause. The CRS ruled out the possibilities of sabotage, technical glitches, or mechanical faults.

The CRS report emphasized the negligence of certain ground officials who failed to adhere to proper safety protocols and inspections, especially following design modifications made three years ago to address safety concerns.