A goods train collided with cement slabs kept on the tracks in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli on Wednesday, making it the most recent incident in a spate of suspected attempts to derail trains.
The incident occurred in Raebareli's Laxmanpur, where it is suspected that three slabs kept in a nearby field were pulled and brought on the track. However, no major accident was reported after the collision.
The RPF Unchahar team is investigating the matter.
Over the past month, incidents where objects have been allegedly placed on rail tracks to hamper train operations have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Police arrested a man last week for allegedly trying to derail a train by placing iron rods on the railway track in Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur district, while major accidents were averted after gas cylinders were placed on tracks in Kanpur.
At least 10 detonators were found on a railway track in an attempt to blow up the train carrying Army personnel in Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur district. Meanwhile, three wagons of a goods train derailed between Misrod and Mandideep stations near Bhopal.
Cement blocks were found on the tracks in Rajasthan's Ajmer district, while two persons were arrested for allegedly placing an iron rail piece on a railway track in Gujarat's Botad district.
In most cases, the loco pilot's alertness averted major accidents. As a result, RPF and GRP police have increased patrolling by doing foot patrolling on the railway tracks.
