Suspected IED Blast Damages Railway Track In Assam’s Kokrajhar, Train Services Restored

Railway services across Lower Assam and parts of north Bengal were disrupted early on Thursday after a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) damaged a section of track in Assam’s Kokrajhar district, officials said.

The explosion occurred shortly after midnight, around five kilometres from Kokrajhar railway station on the route towards Salakati, an official told PTI. The blast tore apart nearly three feet of railway line, with fragments scattered several metres away, the official added.

Kokrajhar Senior Superintendent of Police Pushpraj Singh said there were no casualties or derailments. “The damage was confined to a short portion of the track, which was promptly repaired. Train movement has resumed now,” Singh said, according to PTI.

Train operations were halted overnight, disrupting several Up and Down trains in Lower Assam and northern West Bengal until around 8 a.m., another railway official said. Security and railway personnel carried out detailed inspections before services were fully restored.

Authorities have stepped up security along the affected route and launched an investigation to identify those behind the blast, PTI reported.

Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the explosion occurred around 1 a.m. near Kokrajhar station under the Alipurduar Division. “When a goods train was passing between Salakati and Kokrajhar, the train manager reported a heavy jerk. The train was stopped, and on inspection, damage was found on the track and sleepers due to a suspected bomb blast,” Sharma said.

The section was repaired by 5.25 a.m., and normal services resumed thereafter. Around eight trains were delayed due to the incident, he added.

Following the blast, security patrolling in the area has been intensified, and police, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and intelligence agencies are jointly investigating the case, according to PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)