Vande Bharat Express: Stones Pelted at Train 18 For Third Time After Inception, Window Damaged

New Delhi, February 20: India’s first engine-less fastest train – Vande Bharat Express – for the third time in a row has been attacked with stones after its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15. Stones were pelted in the train playing between the national capital and holy town Varanasi, while it was going towards Kanpur from New Delhi. In the incident, one window glass was damaged.

According to the reports, the stones were pelted on Vande Bharat Express near Tundla in Uttar Pradesh. Though nobody was injured in the incident, the window was damaged. With this, it is the third time the newly launched train has been attacked with stones. Earlier stones were thrown on December 20 last year, and again it occurred on February 2 this year, during the trail runs. Vande Bharat Express Breakdown: PM Narendra Modi Seeks ‘Punishment’ For Those ‘Mocking’ Train 18's Technical Glitch.

Initially named as Train 18, the Union Ministry of Railways renamed it as Vande Bharat Express and was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15.

Not only with stones, but Vande Bharat Express also faced political strikes, with Congress president Rahul Gandhi taking a swipe at Make in India initiative. He had said, “Modi Ji, I think Make in India needs a serious rethink. Most people feel it has failed. I assure you we in the Congress are thinking very deeply about how it will be done.”

Reverting to the jibe, PM Modi had said on Tuesday, “Some persons targeting and mocking at semi-high speed train. This is unfortunate. This is an insult to engineers and technicians involved in the project. People should remain alert against such persons who are insulting engineers and technicians and mocking the country.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 20, 2019 05:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).