An LPG cylinder placed on the railway tracks in Kanpur district exploded after being hit by the Kalindi Express on Sunday night, with authorities suggesting a potential terror plot aimed at derailing the train.

The Kalindi Express runs between Allahabad and Bhiwani and the incident occurred between Barrajpur and Bilhaur railway stations. The cylinder ignited upon
impact, causing an explosion, but it was flung slightly away from the tracks. The driver applied the emergency brakes to stop the train.

Police have recovered several items from the scene, including a matchbox, a candle, a petrol-filled bottle and two small packets containing liquid explosives. Government Railway Police believe the “conspirators” were nearby and hoping that the explosion would set the engine on fire, causing the train to derail.

“It happened around 8.25pm on Sunday near Munderi Railway Gate. The driver stopped the train after hearing the explosion. There are spots on the grass near the tracks which suggest that some people were sitting there for some time. They must have been waiting for the train to hit the cylinder. They would have set the train on fire had the engine caught fire,” said O.P. Meena, an inspector of the Railway Protection Force.

“The national highway is a few metres from the tracks. We have collected CCTV footage from there and detained people based on their movements towards the tracks...They had planned to terrorise people but failed,” he said.