The investigation into the fire and minor blast inside the Amrapali Express near Shahdara has gained a new lead after the Railway Protection Force (RPF) recovered a sack containing a company identity card and chemical traces from the nearby railway tracks, according to a report by Jagran – New Delhi.
The identity card carries a Delhi address, and investigators are examining the name and other details on it to establish the cardholder’s identity and possible connection with the incident. Samples of the chemical traces have been sent to a forensic laboratory. The report said the forensic examination could take around seven to 10 days.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening at about 6.30 pm, when the Amritsar-Katihar Amrapali Express was stationary near the Shahdara outer after crossing Sahibabad station. The train had stopped at a red signal when a mild blast was followed by a fire in its S-1 coach. Two passengers suffered minor burn injuries.
RPF personnel who reached the site found battery-related material and chemicals inside the coach during their initial examination. Investigators subsequently searched the adjoining railway tracks, where they recovered the sack. The presence of the ID card and chemical traces has added a new line of inquiry, but the source report does not establish who placed the sack there or whether its contents caused the fire.
Ashutosh Pandey, the railway’s divisional security commissioner, said the preliminary investigation did not make the incident appear to be a terrorist attack. He added that all aspects were being examined because of the sensitivity of the case. According to the report, the forensic findings and scrutiny of the identity card will determine the next stage of the investigation.
The case has also prompted tighter security measures at Shahdara, Anand Vihar and other major railway stations in Delhi. Security personnel have been instructed to prevent suspicious objects from entering stations and to increase surveillance on platforms. Special attention is being given to baggage carried into trains from other stations, as well as empty coaches parked on platforms.
Railway security teams have been directed to act promptly on unattended bags and suspicious activity. The heightened checks come during a period when security arrangements at stations were already being strengthened ahead of festivals and under a special railway security campaign.
The immediate investigative milestones are the forensic laboratory’s report on the chemical samples and verification of the identity card recovered from the trackside sack. Further action will follow those findings, according to the railway security authorities cited in the report.
