Rajdhani engine derails near Kolkata, sabotage not ruled out

Passengers of the Howrah-bound Rajdhani Express escaped unhurt today when the engine derailed at a station in Hooghly district with the railways not ruling out sabotage as 300 pandoral clips on the tracks were found removed.

The New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express was at a slow speed while it was passing through a platform of the Baruipara station, around 27km from Kolkata, when two front wheels of the engine jumped the tracks, Eastern railway CPRO Samir Goswami told PTI.

None of the coaches were affected by the derailment, which occurred at around 9.15am, he said.

Eastern Railway sources had earlier said that two coaches had also derailed.

"Since none of the coaches were affected there was no casualty or injury," the CPRO said.

"Prima facie 300 pandoral clips on the tracks were found removed, therefore we are not ruling out sabotage," Goswami said.

The chief operations manager, ER, Ambarish Mukherjee who was on the train, took charge of the situation immediately after the derailment, the CPRO said.

A EMU rake was sent from Howrah to bring the stranded passengers of the Rajdhani to the terminus, he said.