Stones pelted at Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express in Odisha; impact shatters windowpane leaving passengers in shock

In a startling incident, the Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express was allegedly pelted with stones early on Saturday morning, with one of them hitting an AC coach window and shattering a windowpane. The impact was so severe that scattered shards flew inside the affected coach while most passengers were asleep.

According to reports, the incident occurred between Rengali and Jharsuguda railway stations at about 5:30 am when the B-7 coach of the train was targeted, with the stone hitting the window adjacent to seat no. 15.

Passengers inside were woken up by a loud bang and subsequently informed the coach attendants and TTE of the impact, said sources.

Ground Reports Raise Alarm

In an interaction with OTV, the B-7 coach attendant of Tapaswini Express stated that the passenger in the affected seat 15 was heavily shaken by the incident and was visibly trembling.

“The passenger called me over and told me that he heard a loud sound as if it were a gunshot. The windowpane was shattered, and he was covered in glass shards. The impact has broken through the window at one particular point, raising suspicions of a bullet hitting the window,” alleged the attendant.

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Motives Unknown, Investigation Underway

According to railway sources, the identity of the attackers and the motive behind the stone pelting remain unclear. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has launched an investigation to trace the culprits, with officials collecting eyewitness accounts and examining CCTV footage from nearby stations.

Meanwhile, the affected passenger was provided with necessary care and arrangements for the remainder of the journey.

This incident adds to a growing number of similar occurrences across the country where long-distance trains are being targeted with stones. In Odisha alone, two recent incidents involving the Dakshinvihar Express and Rourkela-Puri-Rourkela Vande Bharat Express had sparked serious concerns and caused a revision in the timetable of the latter train.