Odisha writes to Centre for NIA probe into Puri train fire

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Nov 27:

The Odisha government has written 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, revealed an official source in the state police headquarters here.

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 source further revealed.

The lone accused arrested so far by the police, Ramachandran Subash –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.

The source said the 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 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, the source said.

Ramachandran, is currently lodged in the Puri jail under tight security in isolation. The Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Puri is likely to pronounce its ruling today on the Government Railway Police (GRP) fresh plea to take him on a 10-day remand.

The SDJM court had kept its ruling reserved on a GRP’s plea on November 23 to take Ramachandran on a 10-day remand.

It will be worthwhile to mention here that a major fire 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.