03-01-2007, 04:29 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>From Delhi, 604 board Samjhauta, 64 die in blasts, 620 reach Attari! </b> <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Pioneer.com
Neeraj Chauhan | Panipat
The bombers of Attari Special Samjhauta Express could have crossed the border on the same day travelling in the same train. According to The Pioneer investigation, 92 unaccounted for passengers crossed over from Attari into Pakistan on Monday morning on the same train, which caught fire after blasts the night earlier. The indication about this major security faux pas came into light while tallying the list of passengers released by the Northern Railway, and the list of passengers crossing Attari received by the Government Railway Police, Haryana.
<b>According to Superintendent of Police (Railways), Haryana, Bharti Arora, 620 passengers of Samjhuata Express, who had supposedly boarded train at the Old Delhi railway station, crossed Attari station on Monday after the blasts. The train, which arrived at Attari had in fact 626 passengers on board but six were sent back as their passports were burnt in the blasts. </b>
<b>However, the railway authorities in Delhi, according to their Press release, had made tickets for only 604 passengers on that fateful night -- 340 in general category and 264 in reserved. Of these 604, 64 passengers died in the blast and 12 injured were brought to Safdarjung hospital in the Capital for treatment for burns and injuries. That should have left 528 on board. Then how did 626 passengers arrive in Attari.</b>
According to the Immigration records, 725 passengers were allowed to cross over to Pakistan. The break-up being 620 arriving by the train from Delhi and 105 joining them at Attari. They were allowed to cross over because they presumably possessed valid travel documents.
From where did these 92 extra passengers arrive. The train is not supposed to take passengers on board in between Delhi and Attari stations. The train has an administrative stop at Ambala, where railway officials change duties. After the blasts, the train was stopped at Deewana at 11.50 pm where the injured and the dead were evacuated. Thereafter, the train restarted its journey at 5 am on February 19. It stopped at Ambala on way to Attari.
The Haryana Police, in whose jurisdiction the blasts took place, did not carry a check of the number of passengers travelling for the onward journey either at Deewana or Ambala. When asked who were these 92 passengers, Bharti Arora said, "Ask the Railway officials at Delhi who issued the tickets and allowed people to board the train." When asked if the Haryana Police, which is investigating the case, did not verify this fact with their counterparts in Delhi Police or the Railways, she said, "It is the duty of the railway officials at Attari and Delhi to tally the list and explain the difference."
<b>Passengers travelling in Attari special</b>
Ticket holders who boarded train from Delhi: 604
Ticket holders who died in blasts: 64
Ticket holders shifted to hospital: 12 (one Indian who stayed back and 11 who were evacuated to Pakistan)
Ticket holders who should have reached Attari after blasts: 528
Ticket holders who actually reached Attari: 626
Ticket holders returned from Attari: 6
Who were these other 92 passengers?
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Pioneer.com
Neeraj Chauhan | Panipat
The bombers of Attari Special Samjhauta Express could have crossed the border on the same day travelling in the same train. According to The Pioneer investigation, 92 unaccounted for passengers crossed over from Attari into Pakistan on Monday morning on the same train, which caught fire after blasts the night earlier. The indication about this major security faux pas came into light while tallying the list of passengers released by the Northern Railway, and the list of passengers crossing Attari received by the Government Railway Police, Haryana.
<b>According to Superintendent of Police (Railways), Haryana, Bharti Arora, 620 passengers of Samjhuata Express, who had supposedly boarded train at the Old Delhi railway station, crossed Attari station on Monday after the blasts. The train, which arrived at Attari had in fact 626 passengers on board but six were sent back as their passports were burnt in the blasts. </b>
<b>However, the railway authorities in Delhi, according to their Press release, had made tickets for only 604 passengers on that fateful night -- 340 in general category and 264 in reserved. Of these 604, 64 passengers died in the blast and 12 injured were brought to Safdarjung hospital in the Capital for treatment for burns and injuries. That should have left 528 on board. Then how did 626 passengers arrive in Attari.</b>
According to the Immigration records, 725 passengers were allowed to cross over to Pakistan. The break-up being 620 arriving by the train from Delhi and 105 joining them at Attari. They were allowed to cross over because they presumably possessed valid travel documents.
From where did these 92 extra passengers arrive. The train is not supposed to take passengers on board in between Delhi and Attari stations. The train has an administrative stop at Ambala, where railway officials change duties. After the blasts, the train was stopped at Deewana at 11.50 pm where the injured and the dead were evacuated. Thereafter, the train restarted its journey at 5 am on February 19. It stopped at Ambala on way to Attari.
The Haryana Police, in whose jurisdiction the blasts took place, did not carry a check of the number of passengers travelling for the onward journey either at Deewana or Ambala. When asked who were these 92 passengers, Bharti Arora said, "Ask the Railway officials at Delhi who issued the tickets and allowed people to board the train." When asked if the Haryana Police, which is investigating the case, did not verify this fact with their counterparts in Delhi Police or the Railways, she said, "It is the duty of the railway officials at Attari and Delhi to tally the list and explain the difference."
<b>Passengers travelling in Attari special</b>
Ticket holders who boarded train from Delhi: 604
Ticket holders who died in blasts: 64
Ticket holders shifted to hospital: 12 (one Indian who stayed back and 11 who were evacuated to Pakistan)
Ticket holders who should have reached Attari after blasts: 528
Ticket holders who actually reached Attari: 626
Ticket holders returned from Attari: 6
Who were these other 92 passengers?
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