Kannur: As many as 60 incidents of stone pelting on trains have been reported in Palakkad division alone within 20 months. While stones were pelted against 32 trains in 2022, 28 such attacks were reported this year. A majority of the attacks were against Kerala’s Vande Bharat Express in Tirur, Kannur, Valapattanam and Chottanikkara.   

According to reports, 15 stone pelting incidents occurred in 2015 and 17 others in 2016. Further, in 2022, there have been incidents wherein pelted stones hit the heads of passengers and injured them. The windows of the trains, including that of loco cabin, were damaged in the attacks too. 

For instance, Keerthana Rajesh, a Class 7 girl who had been travelling on Thiruvananthapuram Express (16348) on September 11, 2022 sustained a head injury after being hit by a pelted stone. She had to put in two layers of stitches before heading back home in another train. 

Whereas last month, Kasaragod native P Abhiram, who was on his way to secure admission at Mangaluru College, sustained a severe leg injury in another such attack on Chennai - Mangaluru Mail (12601). The incident took place in Kottikkulam. 

Three migrant labourers nabbed 

After the stone pelting incident on the Netravati Express in Kannur on Sunday, three migrant labourers, who were spotted in suspicious circumstances near the track, were nabbed by the Kannur Railway Protection Force (RPF). 

They were identified as Mohit (40), Sharukh (27) and Suresh Singh (38), natives of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan respectively. They were taken into custody from the Kannur - Chirakkal region.