A fire broke out in an AC coach of the Delhi-bound Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh‘s Ratlam district early on Sunday, prompting evacuation of 68 passengers.
According to railway officials quoted by news agency PTI, no casualties have been reported in the blaze that broke out at 5.15 am in the B-1 coach of the train (12431) carrying 68 passengers, prompting emergency measures.
Ratlam division PRO Mukesh Kumar said that the incident occurred between Alot and Lunirichha stations under the Kota division of the railways. The affected coach was detached from the rake, and overhead electric supply (OHE) was promptly switched off to ensure safety.
“All the passengers were deboarded from the train. None of the passengers sustained injuries. Arrangements have been made to accommodate them in other coaches for the journey up to Kota. An additional coach will be attached at Kota station to restore full capacity, Kota Railway PRO, Ravindera Lakhara, told PTI.
The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ratlam has reached the spot, and the accident relief train has also arrived there, Kumar said. According to the officials, the cause of the fire is under investigation.
FIR in Punjab Mail fire incident
An FIR was registered on Friday against a Kolkata-based railway equipment supplier for allegedly supplying counterfeit and expired circuit breakers that failed during a fire incident aboard the Mumbai-Firozpur Punjab Mail in March, endangering passengers.
Police said that the accused firm, Aspee Sales Corporation, had supplied 325 Motor Protection Circuit Breakers (MPCB) to the railways for ₹4 lakh after winning an online tender floated in November 2025. According to the FIR, some of the devices were installed in a coach later attached to the Punjab Mail.
On March 7, while the train was travelling from Mumbai to Firozpur, smoke emanated from one of the coaches near Firozpur, hinting at a fire-like situation.
“The MPCB installed in the coach failed to trip despite a high-voltage current, resulting in the incident,” a police officer said.
During the inquiry, it was found that some of the MPCBs were counterfeit. The original manufacturer informed the railways that Aspee Sales Corporation was not its authorised dealer and that the supplied product had expired, police said.
The railways alleged in the FIR that the supplier had endangered public safety by providing defective and counterfeit electrical equipment.
Police have registered a case under sections 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 125 (acts endangering human life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
