SILCHAR: Train services on the Lumding-Silchar section of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) remained cancelled from Tuesday evening till 7 am on Wednesday due to a bomb threat on the tracks.
A senior police officer in Haflong, the headquarters of Dima Hasao district, said authorities of NFR division at Lumding got information that there was a bomb planted on the tracks somewhere between Harangajao and Maibang stations in the section. Immediately after this, movement of all passenger and goods trains was stalled at different points on Tuesday evening to avoid any untoward incident and a massiver search operation was launched along the 71-km stretch between the two stations, he added.
Haflong police station OC Shanku Sargiari said Assam Police, along with the Army, GRP and RPF, launched an operation along the stretch of the railway track with the help of sniffer dogs for the bomb. The operation continued throughout the night. But at the end, nothing was found, said a relieved OC.
Due to the action of the authorities, the Lumding-Silchar Cachar Extress, Agartala-Lumding Express and some freight trains were stopped at different destinations throughout the night. The move, however, caused harassment to the passengers.
The officer said the trains were allowed to start for their destinations only at 7 am on Wednesday after ensuring that there was no bomb anywhere on the tracks. He added that precaution was necessary given the recent law and order situation in the hills district. "We are no more ready to take any risk. Therefore, people should bear with us," said the officer.
He added that security measures have been tightened throughout the Barail Hills range following a few incidents of killing, torching of houses and attack on trains by suspected militants since the first week of this month.
