Railway staff detained for stealing, setting off detonators in Madhya Pradesh

New Delhi: A railway employee was detained on Monday for stealing detonators that went off on a track while a military special train was passing in Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh.

“The Railway Protection Force (RPF)has detained Sabir, a railway employee, for an inquiry in connection with the incident,” the railway official said.

The RPF registered a case against Sabir on Sunday for stealing the detonators under Section 3(a) of the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act,” said the official.

Sabir is a mate, a rank higher than a gangman, who patrols tracks, the official added. Earlier, the railways said 10 detonators, which the railways term “harmless”, went off on tracks in the Khandwa district last Wednesday, prompting the authorities to briefly halt the military train.

The detonators are called crackers, and when they explode, they make a loud sound, which is a signal for an obstruction, fog, or mist ahead, the official said.