The personnel have been held for their involvement in crimes under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 201 (destruction of evidence) and Section 153 of the Railways Act, they said. The central probe agency had taken over the investigation from the Odisha police, which had not invoked section 304 of IPC; instead it had included 304-A (criminal negligence resulting in death), officials said, adding that the maximum punishment under IPC section 304 can extend up to ten years, while for 304-A it is two years.

 

“The CBI today arrested then SSE (Signal) Balasore, then SSE (Signal) Soro and then technician Balasore under IPC sections 304 and 201 and section 153 of the Railways Act, 1989, in an ongoing investigation of the case related to the train mishap at Bahanagar Bazar Railway Station (BNBR), Balasore, Odisha,” CBI spokesman R C Joshi said. The agency will now produce the arrested before a special magistrate on Saturday to seek their police custody following which their custodial interrogation will begin. The CBI will also have to file a chargesheet within 90 days else the arrested personnel will become eligible for default bail. According to CBI, Mahanta was reportedly part of the initial probe carried out by the national transporter in which he is understood to have denied any failure in the signalling department with regard to the accident. A high-level railway inquiry had found “wrong signalling” to be the main reason for the accident.