Central Railway moves ‘cupboard bombs’ out of CST

A day after DNA carried a report highlighting the dumping of hundreds of abandoned cupboards at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), one of the targets of 26/11 terrorists, the Central Railway (CR) has shifted all the cupboards to its dumping store yard at Parel.

The cupboards were a part of a temporary motormen’s lobby that was shifted between platforms seven and eight when the permanent lobby was being renovated. After the motormen shifted to the new lobby, the cupboards were lying there unattended.
Though the Government Railway Police (GRP) had alerted the railways that the abandoned cupboards could be used by terrorists to place explosives, the officials ignored the warnings.

The GRP had issued a warning to the railways, saying that their “irresponsible” act could pose a serious security threat to more than 10 lakh commuters that use the station every day.
The CST was one of the targets of 26/11 terrorists when Mohammad Ajmal Kasab and his accomplice sprayed bullets on passengers killing 56 people and leaving scores injured.

Railway officials had told DNA that the scrap contract had already been awarded and that they were moving the cupboards from the premises.

On Wednesday, the railways stacked all the cupboards onto vehicles and cleared the station premises.