Jabalpur:

Two coaches of the Indore-Jabalpur Express train derailed on Saturday morning when it was approaching the Jabalpur station in Madhya Pradesh, railway officials said. No passenger was injured in the derailment that occurred around 5.40 am, they said.

Restoration work is underway and a committee has been formed to probe the incident, according to them.

#WATCH | Two coaches of Indore- Jabalpur Overnight Express derailed in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. No casualties/injuries reported.

More details awaited pic.twitter.com/A8y0nqoD0r

— ANI (@ANI) September 7, 2024

Jabalpur station falls under the West Central Railway (WCR) zone.

“Two coaches of the Indore-Jabalpur Superfast Express (22191) derailed when the train was approaching platform number 6 of the Jabalpur station,” an official said.

The derailed coaches were positioned just behind the engine, he said, adding that the derailment took place around 50 metres away from the platform.

Talking to PTI, Madhur Verma, senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM) of WCR’s Jabalpur Rail Division, “The train’s scheduled arrival time is 5.35 am. The derailment occurred at 5.38 am when the train was about to enter the Jabalpur station. The loco pilot immediately stopped the train and saved other coaches from getting dragged.” “Two coaches adjoining the engine got derailed, but fortunately, no passenger was injured in the incident,” he said.

The passengers got off the train and traffic on the adjoining tracks was stopped for around half an hour, Verma said.

“A multi-departmental inquiry committee has been constituted to carry out a probe,” he said.

There was no major impact on the railway traffic as only platform number six of the station was closed for operations, he said.

Harshit Shrivastava, chief public relations officer of the West Central Railway said, “The train was running at the dead-stop speed of 5 kmph when the incident occurred.” The cause behind the derailment will be known after a probe, he said, adding that railway traffic on the route was normal and efforts to re-rail the derailed coaches were on. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jabalpur:

A 66-year-old retired nurse died in the early hours of Sunday after some people in an inebriated condition pelted stones at the car she was travelling in near the Gun Carriage Factory in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur, police said.

Victim Viraj Dubey was going to her home in the Durga Nagar Gwarighat area with her nephew when the incident took place around 3 am.

Dubey was sitting in the rear seat of the car. She suffered a head injury after some drunk persons hurled stones at the vehicle. She was rushed to a hospital where she died after a while, inspector Satish Kumar Andhwar of Ghamapur police station told reporters.

Her nephew told the police that he had rolled down the window of his car to beat the humid weather as the vehicle was not air-conditioned.

The police official said they have registered a case of murder and launched a hunt to arrest those behind the crime.

Police are investigating the case from all angles, he said after the family of the victim suspected that the attack might have been aimed at committing robbery.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhopal:

In a dramatic turn of events, BJP leaders have clashed with officers from the electricity department in Jabalpur over allegations of electricity theft, leading to vandalism in the department’s office. The incident sparked widespread protests, with employees of the department taking to the streets.

The conflict began when BJP leaders were accused of vandalising the electricity department office and assaulting officers. The situation escalated when a case was filed against 12 electricity department officers under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, allegedly due to pressure from the ruling party.

Two of the officers facing charges are from the SC/ST community.

This turmoil in Jabalpur, known as the cultural capital of Madhya Pradesh, is not fueled by the Opposition but by the ruling party itself, the electricity department employees said. All the employees have rallied in protest, displaying posters and decrying the actions taken against them.

The controversy centres around allegations that a BJP councillor built an illegal colony and took an illegal electricity connection. When legal action was initiated, the councillor allegedly responded with violence to exert pressure.

“False cases have been filed against us. We will go on strike if necessary. The recovery of Rs 18-20 lakh was made against the councillor. When action was taken, they created a ruckus, and BJP leaders Atul Dani and Pushpendra resorted to vandalism without attempting to resolve the issue through dialogue,” an electricity department employee alleged.

Mobile videos of the incident show BJP councillor Atul Dani entering a meeting on June 19, and shouting at the department employees, which raised tension. Subsequently, BJP leaders accused the electricity department officials of misconduct, citing unnecessary power cuts and exploitation through smart meters.

“Yesterday, our mandal president and councillor faced misbehaviour with. Complaints were filed, and casteist remarks were made. It’s my responsibility to address these issues. If anyone tries to undermine the government’s work, we will face it courageously,” BJP MLA Abhilash Pandey said.

The situation worsened when three BJP MLAs and 15 councillors blocked the road for five hours, staging a dharna. Following this, the police filed cases against 12 employees and officers of the Madhya Pradesh Vidyut Mandal under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Sources said the police may have overlooked the fact two of the officers who were allegedly assaulted are from the SC/ST community.

“An FIR (first information report) has been filed based on the application received. The police will take action after an impartial investigation,” Additional SP Samar Verma said.

As protests continue, the electricity department employees alleged politically motivated actions against them.