Pune: Daund-Pune Shuttle Train Catches Minor Fire, No Casualties Reported; One Held

A minor fire broke out in the lavatory of the moving Daund-Pune shuttle train on Monday morning as a passenger allegedly threw a lighted cigarette in a dustbin there, causing panic among passengers, police said.

It has been reported that no one was injured in the incident, and the blaze was doused promptly. The incident took place near Yavat in Pune district at around 8 am, an official from Daund railway police station told PTI.

Sharing further details of the incident, a railway spokesperson told PTI that a 55-year-old person, who prima facie seemed to be mentally unstable, was detained in connection with the incident and handed over to police.

Taking cognisance of the matter, Central Railways Pune Division issued an official statement saying, "On 16.06.25, smoke was observed in coach CR 178378 near Yevat due to an individual (appearing like a beggar) burning paper/bidi inside the toilet. He had locked the toilet from inside and did not open. No short circuit occurred. The individual was removed by the pointsman and other railway staff by breaking a window and handed over to the RPF. The train resumed after safety checks. Neither the culprit nor any passengers have sustained any injury during the incident."

"On investigation, it was found that the culprit passenger had burnt paper inside the toilet due to which smoke spread. The person was found to be mentally retarded and has been taken Into custody. State police is doing further investigation", it further read

Railway officials said the train suffered a 20-minute detention at the Yavat station. The train was held up at Yavat station for about 20 minutes due to the incident, as per railway officials.

The shuttle train service operates daily between Daund town and Pune city, covering a distance of nearly 75 km and passing through seven stations in between.