Panic gripped the KSR Railway Station in Bengaluru after railway staff stumbled upon a hand grenade lying on the trolley path between tracks on platform no. 1 on Friday morning.
The nerve-racking drama began around 8.45 am, when the Railway Security Control, to their horror, found a hand grenade. Soon after the discovery, officials cordoned off the entire area, including the trolley path towards BNC-end and the track area of platform no. 1.
The entire uniformed force immediately swung into action and senior railway officers including Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru, reached the spot.
The Divisional Security Commissioner led a team of Railway Protection Force (RPF), which thoroughly searched the entire premises, including stationary trains. But railway traffic was not disrupted, as movement of trains, except on platform no. 1 and 2, remained normal.
Soon after the area was cordoned off by the RPF and the police, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) were called in to examine the grenade. The grenade was handed over to the Bomb Disposal Squad at around 9.55 am.
Top officials said that the suspicious object was a “dummy grenade” with no explosive charges inside, while the casing had been perforated disallowing its use as an explosive.
Sources from the state police told DH that the grenade casing was made in Kolkata. Home Minister MB Patil has ordered a probe into the matter.
“It was a 600-gram dummy grenade-like material that was found. There was no explosive (gunpowder) in the grenade. Immediately, our officials rushed to the spot and ascertained that it wasn’t a live grenade. Vigilance has been stepped up in all railway stations and bus stands. There’s no need to panic,” Patil said.
After a thorough checking of trains and platform no.1 and 2, normal operations were restored eventually.
Security was stepped up following the discovery of the grenade. Intensive checks were carried out at entrance, platforms, train coaches and at parcel office, and the entire KSR Railway station was sanitised, Southwestern Railway officials told reporters.
Movements of trains especially on platform 1 and 2 were disrupted for a while, and confusion prevailed among passengers. But normalcy was restored by 11 am, officials added.