Passenger Arrested for Allegedly Attempting to Set Train Coach on Fire in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: In a recent fire-related incident on a train in Kerala, authorities booked a passenger for allegedly attempting to set a coach ablaze. The incident took place on the Kannur-Ernakulam Intercity Express on Monday afternoon, according to officials from the Railway Protection Force and Railway Police. The custody details of the detained individual were not specified by the officials.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported as it was an attempted act. A railway official mentioned that the man appeared to be mentally unstable. This incident adds to a series of train arsons in Kerala over the past two months.

The first incident occurred on April 2 in Kozhikode district, where three individuals, including an infant, lost their lives, and nine others sustained burn injuries. Shahrukh Saifi, the accused, set his co-passengers on fire aboard the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train near Elathur in Kozhikode.

On June 1, another incident took place when a West Bengal native allegedly set fire to a coach of the same express train after it had stopped at Kannur railway station and all passengers had disembarked. The suspect, described as a beggar suffering from mental trauma, was apprehended the following day.

Following these incidents, both the opposition Congress and the BJP criticized the ruling Left government, as the incidents have generated a sense of “insecurity” among the people in the state.