Panic ensued after a metal object, which was modelled after a grenade, was found at KSR Central Station on Friday morning.
Around 8.45 a.m., the Railways Security Control reported that a hand grenade had been found in the trolley path of Platform Number 1 of the city’s busiest railway station. Platform 1 and 2 of the station were cordoned off and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad was called.
Officials reported that the object was a ‘dummy grenade’ with no explosive charges inside while the casing had been perforated disallowing its use as an explosive.
Home Minister M.B. Patil has ordered a comprehensive probe into the matter.
The spot where the object was found.
“It does look like a grenade, but absolutely cannot be used as an explosive. We are trying to investigate what it could be used for, and who brought it to the station. We are going through the video feeds at the station,” said Alok Mohan, Additional Director General of Police (Railways).
Complicating matters was the sheer number of people who use the trolley path not just for loading parcels, but also to cross platforms.
South Western Railways (SWR) said after the incident was reported to the Railway Security Control, the Railway Security Force ‘thoroughly’ searched the area, including trains. All train movement, except for Platform 1 and the adjacent Platform 2, functioned normally during this time.
Adding to the confusion on Friday morning, while police and railway officials were sanitising the area, authorities heard beeps from the Patna-bound Sanghamitra Express, which was right in front of the place where the ‘grenade’ was found.
“We discovered that a CCTV camera on the train was malfunctioning,” Mr. Mohan told mediapersons at the railway station.
By 11 a.m., normalcy was restored.
“Railway workforce has been put on alert. We are conducting intensive checks at the entrance, platforms, train coaches and at the parcel office,” said the SWR in a statement.
