Empty gas cylinder found near rail track in UP's Kanpur, probe on

An empty five kilogram gas cylinder was found placed on the railway tracks near the Barrajpur railway station here, Government Railway police (GRP) said on Thursday.

In a separate incident, a major accident was averted when a large fragment of a metal was found lying on the railway track near Tapri on the Haridwar railway line in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district on Tuesday, officials said.

A safety team found the cylinder on the loopline tracks in Shivrajpur on Wednesday during patrolling. It was kept in a sack, the officials said, as a probe was launched into the matter.

"Upon receiving information GRP officials along with the forensic teams from Kanpur and its neighbouring districts reached the spot and inspected the area as well as the cylinder and found it empty," Superintendent of Police (GRP) Abhishek Verma said.

Preliminary information suggested that the cylinder was deliberately put on the tracks with an intent to trigger panic, he added.

He said a special team has been formed to investigate the matter thoroughly and ensure the early arrests of those responsible behind it.

Meanwhile, the railways has also started a detailed probe into the matter that took place in the early hours of Tuesday, the officials said.

The railway authorities along with teams from the GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) promptly went to the scene upon receiving information, they said

Train traffic was temporarily halted to remove the obstruction ensuring the smooth resumption of railway services, they added.

Saharanpur Station Superintendent Sunil Kumar said information was received around 1 am on Tuesday regarding a piece of a metal gate lying on the Tapri railway track.

Train number 14089, Anand Vihar-Kotdwar Expres, was halted to ensure passengers safety. The metal piece was removed and the track was cleared for operation, he said.

The train departed with a delay of approximately 15 minutes, he added.

"We are treating this as a possible sabotage attempt and have initiated an investigation. The RPF in Shamli has been tasked with probing the matter and strict action will be taken against those responsible for this act, the officer said.