TROUBLE ON TRACKS

On a September morning this year, between the quaint railway stations of Chikalthan and Karmad in Maharashtra, the locomotive of the Nandigram Express struck something solid on the track.

- Avishek G. Dastidar

As the driver slammed the emergency brakes, passengers were jolted awake, unaware of the close brush with disaster. Upon inspection, the railway staff discovered a concrete boulder and a cable marker block deliberately placed on the track. Though no passenger was harmed, the train's engine and several components of the track were damaged, and emergency crews worked through the night to clear the debris. This was no accident. In the records of Indian Railways, it was an act of sabotage.

This is part of a worrying trend visible across India's 132,000-kilometre railway network. Boulders, iron bars, gas cylinders, fire extinguishers, hammers and even bikes have been found in the way of running trains. Signalling equipment is vanishing in the middle of nowhere. The objects are large enough to derail a speeding train on impact, putting in danger the lives of over 24 million passengers who use the network daily. As such, the acts of sabotage are not new. But lately, say the ministry insiders, they have grown in number and in "creativity" shown by saboteurs-some 56 cases in 2024 so far, across India.