KANNUR: A native of Bengal was taken into custody for allegedly setting fire to a train halted at Kannur railway station. The accused was taken into custody by the police during an investigation based on the CCTV footage. But this has not been officially confirmed by the police or railway authorities.
As per reports, there was an argument between the security guard and the Bengal native in custody last night and the grudge of this led to him setting fire to the train. It is also indicated that the security personnel identified the native of Bandel. However, it is not clear what caused the dispute and how the fire was set. The accused is said to have mental problems and also allegedly set fire to the track near the railway station two months ago. He was arrested that day but was released citing mental issues.
The fire broke out in the compartment of the Alappuzha – Kannur Executive Express train which was stationed in the 8th yard near the 3rd platform of the Kannur railway station. The incident took place around 1:30 am on Thursday. The train was stopped after ending its journey at 11:30 p.m. The Indian Oil Corporation's fuel storage facility is barely a hundred meters away from the spot where the compartment caught fire. Had the fire spread to more coaches and reached the fuel tank, the disaster would have been dire.
NIA's preliminary assessment is that the incident isn't similar to the Elathur train fire in Kannur. In Elathur, a man named Shahrukh Saifi brought fuel and sprinkled it inside the train and set it on fire. The same is clear from the released CCTV footage and the statements of the eyewitnesses. Eyewitnesses say that they first saw smoke inside the coach, and the entire coach was suddenly engulfed in flames. They also say that fire broke out from almost every part of the coach simultaneously. The investigation team concluded that the fire cannot spread easily without using flammable fuel like petrol as there are more iron parts.
