The CBI has arrested three railway officials, including a senior engineer reportedly associated with the initial inquiry, in connection with the triple-train crash of June 2 in Balasore that claimed 293 lives.

The arrested officials are Arun Kumar Mahanta, senior section engineer (signal) posted in Balasore; Mohammed Amir Khan, senior section engineer (signal) posted in Soro; and Pappu Kumar, technician posted in Balasore.

According to the CBI, Mahanta was part of the initial probe carried out by the railways, in which he is understood to have denied any failure of the signalling department in connection with the accident, PTI reported.

The signalling system at Bahanaga station, near which the accident took place,functions under the supervision of Balasore’s main railway station. The Bahanaga station is located between the Balasore and Soro railway stations.

Senior section engineers at both Soro and Balasore are responsible for the signalling system that operates near the Bahanaga railway station. The Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, the Bangalore-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train were involved in the accident.

Sources claimed that the technician had, under the supervision of the two senior engineers, repaired the signalling system but it did not work properly. The Chennai-bound Coromandel Express hit a stationary goods train after entering the loop track. Its derailed carriages crashed into the two rear bogies of the Bangalore-Howrah Superfast Express.

The CBI said the three officials had been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing the disappearance of evidence, giving false information to screen offenders and endangering the safety of people.

A high-level railway inquiry had found “wrong signalling” to be the main reason for the accident and flagged “lapses at multiple levels” in the signalling and telecommunication department. It had indicated that the tragedy could have been averted had past red flags been reported.