Two windows of premium train damaged near Cantonment area; Police case filed

Bengaluru: The glass windows of the Vande Bharat Express that travels between Mysuru and Chennai via Bengaluru were damaged last evening after some people threw stones at the high-speed train in Bengaluru, the South Western Railway (SWR) said in a statement.

The train was travelling from Mysuru to Chennai. No one was injured, the SWR said, adding that a Police case has been filed. The incident occurred between Krishnarajapuram (K.R. Puram) and Bengaluru Cantonment Railway Station.

“Two windows of a coach of train No. 20608 Mysuru-Chennai Vande Bharat Express were damaged when some miscreants pelted stones at the train,” the SWR said.

In November 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched this South India’s first-ever Vande Bharat train service under the Make-in-India initiative. The semi-high-speed service offers faster and more comfortable travel options between the three cities.

Frequent incidents of people throwing stones at passing Vande Bharat Express trains have been reported recently. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has registered 21 stone pelting cases in January 2023 and 13 cases in February 2023, in the Bengaluru Division alone of the SWR.

Pelting stones at trains is a non-bailable offence. As per Section 152 of the Railways Act, if any person throws stones at a train and such an act is likely to endanger the safety of passengers on the train, he shall be punishable with life imprisonment or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years,” states the SWR statement.

The SWR has appealed to the public and passengers to inform them about stone pelting incidents by contacting the toll-free helpline number 139.