CASE HACKSAW CUT RAILS --> MISHAP WITH DEATHS

 guntakal rail track cut with hacksaw case details

The "Guntakal rail track cut with hacksaw case" refers to the 

December 21, 2002, derailment of the 

Kacheguda-Bangalore Express

 between Pendekallu and Pagidirai stations in the Guntakal division of South Central Railway. 

Incident Details

• Date and Location: The accident occurred on December 21, 2002, in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.
• Victims: The derailment resulted in 19 deaths, 33 serious injuries, and 43 minor injuries. 

Investigation and Findings

• Initial Discovery: Following the incident, four or five hacksaw blades were found near the track, and iron filings under the track had a smooth texture, suggesting a deliberate cut rather than a natural fracture.
• Official Cause: A statutory inquiry by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Shri R.P. Agrawal, concluded that the accident most probably occurred due to tampering with the track.
• Method: The CRS provisional findings stated that the left-hand side rail was cut with a hacksaw and then pushed inward by an unauthorized person not affiliated with the railway staff.
• Train Behavior: The 130-tonne engine of the train managed to pass over the cut tracks, but the subsequent lighter coaches (22 tonnes each) could not withstand the resulting jerk and rolled down a mini culvert.
• Controversy: The charge of track tampering was initially dismissed by some police sources and a top railway official as potentially a fault in the newly laid track or politically motivated, but the official inquiry confirmed tampering as the probable cause. 

The provisional findings of the Commissioner of Railway Safety were forwarded to the Central Government for further consideration. The investigation into the 2002 Guntakal train mishap focused heavily on forensic evidence at the scene, which ultimately led the official inquiry to conclude that the cause was deliberate sabotage. 

Investigation Process

• Initial Scene Analysis: Investigators and forensic experts were dispatched to the site in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, to collect evidence. The immediate area around the break in the track was secured for examination.
• Witness Statements: Railway staff and local police were questioned. A railway official initially suggested the track might have been faulty, but this was dismissed by top railway officials as politically motivated.
• Statutory Inquiry: A formal inquiry was conducted by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Shri R.P. Agrawal, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. 

Forensic Insights

The primary evidence supporting the sabotage theory came from the forensic examination of the rail break:

• Hacksaw Blades: Four or five hacksaw blades were discovered near the track, a critical piece of circumstantial evidence.
• Metallic Filings Analysis: Forensic experts from Secunderabad collected samples of iron filings and metallic powder from under the tracks.
  • The texture of these filings was smooth, which is consistent with a cut made by a hacksaw.
  • Had it been a natural fracture or a break due to material failure, the texture of the metallic powder would have been granular.
  • A chemical analysis and simulation test of the powder were planned to confirm the cause.
• Manner of Cutting: The director of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) indicated that the cut was likely made not at one go, but over a period, suggesting the perpetrators worked at different times or over multiple nights to avoid detection in the remote area.
• Concealment: The damaged portion of the track was reportedly covered with a piece of cloth to disguise it. 

Conclusion of Investigation

The provisional findings of the Commissioner of Railway Safety concluded that the accident was most probably caused by tampering with the track by an unauthorized person not affiliated with railway staff. The investigation ruled out an accidental break and confirmed criminal intent. 

Subsequent Developments

• Lack of Claims/Motive: No specific terrorist organization or group claimed responsibility for the act, making the motive difficult to establish.
• Arrest: Over a year later, a man named Syed Abdul Nayeem, a Lashkar-e-Taiba activist, was arrested in Hyderabad and charged with involvement in this rail sabotage and another bombing. He reportedly failed a 'brainwave fingerprinting test' during police questioning.