A five member committee was set up to look into the matter of Odisha train accident. The investigation had concluded that a “signalling error” was the cause of this train mishap. But a senior Indian Railway official has disagreed with the certain findings of the five-member inquiry committee.

The problem discussed below

In a remark to the report, Senior Section Engineer A.K. Mahanta expressed disagreement, stating that the “datalogger” report found that the signal was green for the main line, not the loop line. According to data logger report observations, the point was placed for the main line’s normal side. After a derailment, it might be reserved, he said.

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Disputes amongst investigators of Odisha Train Accident

Indian Railways has claimed that disputes among the investigators are normal during the earliest stages of the probe and that the commissioner of rail safety will conduct a thorough investigation before drawing any firm conclusions.

Mahanta objected to the statement in the joint inspection report that “Point 17A was found set up for Loop line (in reverse condition) of Bahanaga Bazar Station.”

“I disagreed with the report’s statement that point No. 17A was discovered to be configured for the Up Loop line. Point 17 was established for the normal side based on observations from the data logger report. After the derailment, it might be reversed, the engineer wrote in the note.

A mechanism that keeps an eye on the railroads’ signalling system is the data logger. In order to provide reports, the system also scans, saves, and processes data.

Notably, Mahanta had previously agreed with the conclusions of the preliminary assessment before abruptly changing his mind. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the case and is currently investigating the Odisha train accident. The central agency was handed over the investigation as the Ministry of Railways suspected tampering with the electronic interlocking system.