NIA begins ‘simulation exercise’ in train fire

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday began a “simulation exercise” at the Puri railway station in Orissa as part of its probe into the serial burning of train coaches at the very station on November 12, 2015.

The NIA, with accused Ramachandran Subash, is in the process of reconstruction of the sequence of events in the serial burning of train bogies in which five coaches of three trains were reduced to ashes.

The exercises will continue till Monday evening.

Reports said the reason behind the agency going for a simulation exercise is aimed at ascertaining if other persons, besides prime accused Ramachandran, were involved in the serial fire.

The NIA doubts the capability of a single person to set as many as five bogies of three trains on fire within such limited time, sources close the investigating team said.

The NIA team, led by SP Prashant Kumar which has been camping in Puri, had written to the collector to provide fire tenders and ambulances services for the “simulation exercise”. Fire tenders and ambulances have been kept in attendance at the station. The exercise is scheduled to continue till Monday.

On November 12, a major fire had broke out at Puri station in which two coaches — one each of Nandankanan Express and Tirupati Express and one coach of the Puri-Howrah Express — were reduced to ashes even though there were no casualties.

Moments later, Ramachandran was arrested from the spot with a knife, a blade and a match box.

The state government on November 26 had written to the Centre for a NIA probe into the incident given its increasing complexity.

An 11-member forensic team of the National Inv-estigation Agency arrived in Puri on December 12 and has been camping here since then.