Clarified: Why CBI Is Examining Odisha Prepare
Catastrophe

A train tragedy in Odisha’s
Balasore resulted in 275 deaths and approximately 1,000 injuries.

The Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) will investigate the incident to determine if there was
criminal tampering with the point machine or electronic interlocking system, or
if there was a signaling error or track reconfiguration that caused the train
to change tracks.

The CBI inquiry aims to address
all questions surrounding the accident, which is the deadliest in the country
in the past two decades.

The Commissioner of Railway Safety is also conducting a separate investigation and is expected to submit a
report in two weeks.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
stated that the “root cause” of the accident and the responsible
parties have been identified, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured that
strict action would be taken against those found guilty.

• Experts suggest that a change in
  the track configuration may have caused the accident, and individuals involved
  in such actions will face consequences.
• The electronic interlocking
  system is vital for railway signaling, ensuring the safety of trains by locking
  point switches and setting up routes.
• Track failure is a common cause
  of train accidents, often due to extreme temperatures or deliberate damage by
  anti-social elements.
• There may have been a systems
  failure, possibly due to a lack of synchronization between the electronic and
  mechanical systems involved in shifting the point. The investigation will also explore other factors such as track management system failure, signaling failures, human error, weather conditions, and communication failures.

Railway officials have identified
the responsible individuals and suspect interference with the signaling system,
not ruling out the possibility of foul play.