Doraha (Ludhiana), March 14
Three persons, including a woman, were killed and 28 others injured, 10 of them seriously, when an explosion took place in a coach of the Dhanbad Express last midnight. The mishap occurred just near the railway bridge over the Sidhwan main feeder canal, about 200 m ahead of the Doraha railway station.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh while talking to The Tribune at the blast site in the morning said the bomb was crude in nature and did not contain any splinters. “The explosive material was of a low intensity ’’ the Chief Minster said and added that the final conclusion would be drawn out only after investigation. But according to the preliminary reports, the hand of some terrorist organisation or any attack on Karsevaks to link it to the Ayodhya dispute has been ruled out.
He announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the next of the kin of the victims and Rs 5, 000 for the injured. The Chief Minister said the incident should not be viewed as a threat to the political stability in the state or a warning signal of the revival of terrorism.
The majority of the victims were migrant labourers. The three dead have been identified as Manti (40), Jai Durga Prasad (25) and Bhushan Ram.
Mr Mann Singh, AIG, Railways, said the exact nature of
the blast material would be known only after the forensic report. He said he suspects that the material could either be of low intensity or could be a small amount of a high intensity material. He said the material does not seem to be RDX.
The police was also suspecting that Bhushan Ram could be carrying the bomb. It police said the bomb could have exploded by accident and added that the basis for such a suggestion was that the bomb was kept on the top berth and not under a seat, where it would have caused maximum damage.
The police has seized a briefcase and an aluminum container from the site. Either of the two things or a sack kept with them contained the bomb.
The train had left the Ferozepore railway station at about 5.45 p.m. and the blast took place near seat No. 32 just beside the central door of the coach, which was the third one from the engine. The coach immediately caught fire and most of the injured received burn injuries in the fire. According to the police, some people received serious injuries in the commotion that ensued. Some even jumped off the train in panic.
The passengers were asleep and took time to react.
According to Mr K K Mittal, Superintendent, Doraha railway station, the fire was controlled within 15 minutes by the railway staff. A number of civilians living near the station also reached the site and helped in the rescue operation. The injured were shifted to a hospital from where the serious ones were taken to the DMC, Ludhiana. He said by 4.00 a.m. the traffic was restored.
A number of senior police officials also visited the site. Prominent among them were included DGP M. S. Bhullar, ADGP, Railways, S. C. Jain, IG Railways, P. N. Dass, IG (zonal), S. K. Sharma, AIG Railways, Mann Singh and SSP Khanna, Devinder Garcha. A team of forensic experts from Chandigarh was examining the coach.
Bian Singh (40), who had boarded the train of Makhu and was bound for Shahbad in Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh, said the fire and smoke made him fall unconscious in the compartment.
Saroj Kumar, who suffered burns on his face, which wsa wrapped, told the same version from his hospital bed.
Shiv Sampat from Madhya Pradesh, who eked out a living by singing and drummping “dafli” at Moga in Punjab, said his wife was lying wounder at the hospital.
All three witnesses said the bomb was lying in a bundle.
Enquiry officers have been opened at New Delhi (3344128) Delhi (3967332) Nizamudding (4359748), Ludhiana (744702), Doraha (0171-2642859), Ferozepore (01632-44369) and Ambala (0171-2631275). The numbers of the Dayanand College Hospital at Ludhiana ae 471500 and 4772634, while the numbers of Sidhu Nursing Home in Doraha are 58815 and 57214.
