A fire broke out in an air-conditioned coach of the Delhi-bound Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express train in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district early on Sunday, leading to the evacuation of 68 passengers.
According to railway officials quoted by news agency PTI, no casualties were reported in the fire that broke out at 5.15 am in the B-1 coach of the train (12431) carrying 68 passengers, prompting emergency measures.
Mukesh Kumar, head of Ratlam division, said that the accident occurred between Alot and Lonericha stations of Kota railway division. The affected bus was disconnected from the rake, and the Overhead Electrical (OHE) was immediately shut off to ensure safety.
“All passengers have been deboarded from the train. None of the passengers sustained any injuries. Necessary arrangements have been made to accommodate them in other coaches for the journey to Kota. An additional coach will be attached at Kota station to restore its full capacity,” Ravindira Lakhara told PTI.
Kumar said that the Ratlam Railway Superintendent reached the accident spot and the accident relief train also reached there. According to officials, the cause of the fire is under investigation.
FIR in Punjab Post fire incident
An FIR was registered on Friday against a Kolkata-based railway equipment supplier for allegedly supplying fake and expired circuit breakers which malfunctioned during a fire incident on board the Mumbai-Ferozepur Punjab Mail train in March, endangering passengers.
The accused company, Aspee Sales Corporation, supplied the railways with 325 motor protection circuit breakers (MPCB), police said. $4 lakh were tendered after winning an online tender in November 2025. According to the FIR, some of the devices were installed in a bus which was later linked to Punjab Post.
On March 7, while the train was traveling from Mumbai to Ferozepur, smoke emanated from one of the coaches near Ferozepur, indicating a fire-like situation.
“The MPCB installed in the bus failed to trip despite the presence of high voltage current, which led to the accident,” a police officer said.
During the investigation, it was found that some of the MPCBs were counterfeit. The original manufacturer informed the railways that Aspee Sales Corporation was not its authorized dealer and the product supplied had expired, police said.
The Railways alleged in the FIR that the supplier had endangered public safety by supplying defective and counterfeit electrical equipment.
The police registered a case under Sections 318 (4) (cheating and dishonest inducement to surrender property) and 125 (acts endangering human life or personal safety of others) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
