Triple train crash in Odisha 100% sabotage with extensive planning, calculation: Dinesh Trivedi

India’s former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi said the “possibility of sabotage" behind the triple train crash in Odisha’s Balasore cannot be ruled out. On June 2, the Coromandel Express had crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm. A few coaches of the Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah express which was passing by at the same time in the opposite direction, turning it into a devastating triple train crash. At least 275 people died and around 1,200 others were injured in the accident. “The inputs and understanding I have about the interlocking system, its functioning, and what happened in the incident, I felt that there was a serious manipulation which led the Coromandel Express on the loop line from the main track. Now with more findings coming up, I am more than 100% sure that this crash was caused by sabotage and not a mere accident,” Trivedi told News18. He further stated that the signal was green, and it is impossible for the interlocking system to malfunction like this. “In a railway system, so many coincidences do not happen. If an interlocking system at any point fails or goes haywire, there is another system that comes into force. It is called ‘fail-safe’. If fail-safe gets activated, then all signals on the specific track turn red, and the train won’t move,” the former minister said. Further, he called the series of incidents that happened around 7 pm on Friday on the tracks near Bahanaga Bazar a “meticulous conspiracy" and added, “To me, it seems like extensive planning and calculation leading to such incidents happening one after another in a matter of a few seconds." Trivedi said the goods train loaded with iron-ore standing like a rock, and a passenger train hitting it on a loop line is not a case of usual signal failure or derailment. “We must understand that a loco pilot can only press a brake or accelerate the train speed depending on the signals. The loco pilot cannot change track or divert trains. So, the train changed track and went on the loop line from the main line on its own after the system was manipulated from the inside. Had it been a simple case of signal failure or malfunctioning of the interlocking system, the train could never change track so smoothly. Because, with system failure, the tracks get blocked automatically and signals turn red," he told News18. The former minister also rubbished the theories given by Opposition politicians for calling Railways an “ill-maintained system" and questioned the non-availability of the anti-collision Kavach mechanism. “West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also experienced such an incident of sabotage when Jnaneswari Express rammed into a derailed goods train in West Midnapore district in 2010. She handed over the investigation to the CBI and asked the CPI(M) not to indulge in politics. However, she is now being forgetful and repeating similar things CPI(M) did then,” he said. (With inputs from agencies) Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.