GRP takes Puri train fire accused on three day remand

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Puri, Nov 27:

The Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court at Odisha’s pilgrim town today allowed the Government Railway Police (GRP) to take accused Ramachandran Subash, who was arrested in connection with the fire at three express trains at Puri Railway Station in which five bogies of three trains were gutted, on a three day remand.

While the GRP had sought to take Ramachandran on a fresh remand for ten days, the SDJM court had kept its ruling reserved in the matter on November 23 following which Ramachandran was sent to the Puri district jail.

The Odisha government Thursday wrote to the Union Home Affairs Ministry for a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the serial burning of three empty trains at Puri railway station on November 12.

The state government wrote to the Centre on Thursday after the state police during its investigations into the incident found suspected terror link to the act of ‘sabotage’.

The lone accused arrested so far by the police, Ramachandran –a native of Tamil Nadu during interrogations is learnt to have told the police that he had received rupees in lakhs from the members of a terror group and the module for arson in trains was prepared in Mumbai.

State police have also spoken to the NIA authorities apart from writing to them in this regard adding that a NIA team is expected to arrive in Odisha very soon to interrogate Ramachandran.

Earlier during interrogations Ramachandran had revealed to the police that he had visited Gaya, Haridwar and Kharagpur with five terrorists where they set ablaze some empty trains adding that he had come to Puri alone and he was assigned to set ablaze trains in Puri.

It will be worthwhile to mention here that a major fire had broke out at Puri Station on November 12, in which two coaches – each of Nandankanan Express, Tirupati Express and one coach of Puri-Howrah Express – were reduced to ashes even though there were no casualties and Ramachandran was arrested from the spot on November 12, a knife, a blade and a match box were seized from him.