Kerala train fire incident: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announces SIT probe

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said a Special Investigation Team SIT will be formed to probe the fire incident onboard a train which led to the loss of three lives including an infant the previous night in Kozhikode district of the stateThe accused man who set fire to the people inside one of the compartments of the AlappuzhaKannur Executive Express on Sunday night is yet to be identified and no arrests have been made so far in the caseHowever police suspect that the accused is a north Indian and that the incident was preplanned as he was carrying petrol in a bottle in his bag A Railway Police officer said that besides them some other agencies were also looking into the matter to ascertain whether it has any terror linksNo other details can be shared presently The investigation is going on the officer said He also said a sketch of the accused based on the statement by one of the passengers has been releasedCM Vijayan in a statement said the police have been instructed to carry out a thorough investigation into the incident He said the police were actively trying to catch hold of the assailant and the probe was being supervised by State Police Chief Anil KantThe CM further said the state government will take strong measures to ensure the safety of rail passengers and the Ministry of Railways will be requested to take all possible steps in the matter of passenger safetyVijayan also condoled the death of the three persons a woman her infant niece and a man who are believed to have fallen off the train or attempted to get down after seeing the fireHe said it was sad and shocking to hear the loss of three lives including that of a baby and the burns suffered by the passengers Nine passengers suffered burns in the incident and are admitted in various hospitals in KozhikodeA case of murder has been lodged against the accused police said earlier The bodies of a woman an infant and a man who went missing from the train after the fire were recovered from the tracks near the Elathur railway station here late on Sunday nightPolice believe they fell off the train or attempted to get down after seeing the fire A forensic team is inspecting the site police said earlier It also said a bag believed to be that of the accused was recovered from the tracks and it contained a bottle of petrolBesides that there were no other clues in the bag It is not believed to be an act of terror There is no information or links regarding that presently it said The incident occurred around 945 pm on Sunday when the train reached the Korapuzha railway bridge here after crossing Kozhikode cityInitially it was believed that the incident was an outcome of an altercation between the accused and another passenger Subsequently police and a passenger present in the compartment have said the accused did not have any altercation with anyoneAlso read 3 found dead on railway track after train fire incident in Keralas KozhikodeThe accused poured an inflammable liquid believed to be petrol on the passengers and set them on fire resulting in burn injuries to nine persons police said None of the passengers said they had an altercation or argument with the accused the Railway Police officer said One of the injured passengers who suffered minor burns told a TV channel that the man suddenly came without a word or sound and sprayed petrol on several persons and set fire to themIt was very unexpected There were few people in the compartment Everyone panicked and started running when he set fire to people he said Ahammed Devarkovil State Minister of Ports and an MLA from Kozhikode South constituency told reporters that the incident was tragic and shocking He said that according to information received from police the assailant is said to be around 25 years oldPolice are trying to nab the accused with the help of CCTV footage the minister saidFormer Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said there was a need to increase the security in trains and from now everyone should be checked before being permitted to board a train It would be unfortunate if people cannot travel safely in trains It is an unprecedented incident The state and central governments should take up the issue seriously he saidChennithala also claimed that the incident was an example of the ineffectiveness in the functioning of the Railway Police Force RPF The incident should open our eyes to the need for increased security in trains he addedEarlier in the day Railway police said some of the injured had suffered 50 per cent burns but their health condition was stable The bodies found on the tracks did not have any burns it saidThe accused had escaped soon after the incident while the injured were shifted to hospitals after passengers pulled the emergency chain When the train reached Kannur a few passengers complained that a woman and a child were missing after the incidentA man who was injured kept looking for a woman and a child We found footwear and a mobile phone of that woman a passenger told the media at KannurSoon after the news of the missing persons came out the city police inspected the tracks and found three bodies including the woman and the child and a middleaged manWe have found CCTV visuals of the suspect Investigation is on a senior police official of the district had saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever