Krishnadas, also the national executive member of the BJP, said investigative agencies suspected the involvement of several people behind the latest incident. The PAC is an organisation under the Railway Ministry that checks whether passenger amenities are provided on trains and at stations. Stating that if the alleged 'carelessness' on the part of the police continued, things would reach a dangerous situation, he said and demanded a serious probe into the reasons behind the recurrence of such train fire incidents.Ĭhairman of Indian Railways' Passenger Amenities Committee (PAC) PK Krishnadas on Thursday said such incidents have created fear and anxiety among the people, especially those travelling by train, and questioned why it was happening 'again and again' in Kerala. Satheesan also blamed the police for its alleged lack of seriousness in dealing with such cases, saying it was apparent from how the Elathur train arson incident of April 2 was handled by the Kerala Police.

It has created 'insecurity' in the minds of the people, and the state government needs to intervene and take steps to strengthen the safety and security measures, he said. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, VD Satheesan, said the government and the police were not dealing with such matters seriously and demanded a proper probe into the reasons behind such incidents. The incident also kicked off harsh criticism of the ruling Left government in the state by the opposition Congress and the BJP. Visuals showed huge flames coming out of the windows of the coach with thick plumes of smoke rising into the air.ĪLSO READ | Kerala man sets co-passenger on fire after argument inside train, cops probe terror angle KERALA GOVT FACES FLAK FROM OPPN The incident occurred after all the passengers had deboarded and no one was injured, an officer of RPS Kannur said.

The train was stationary on track 20-30 metres away from the platform and around 100 metres from a nearby Bharat Petroleum fuel depot, a fire rescue officer said, adding that one of its coaches was completely engulfed in flames.

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