This fact, recorded by Commissioner of Railway Safety (Northern Circle) Bhupinder Singh in his inquiry report, could be of interest to the investigators in piecing together the case. This brief slow down by the train, railway officials said, could have helped someone wanting to get off the moving train.

Based on eyewitness accounts, investigators have been working on the line that two men, wearing mufflers, had got off the running train as it slowed down, while approaching Diwana station.

However, Singh stated in his report that "on the day of the accident, there were no permanent or temporary speed restrictions on the line in the Samalkha-Diwana block section and in the Diwana railway station". Singh has further concluded that the speed of the train at the time of the accident was 100 kmph.

The report also categorically states that the train "did not stop at any place en route till the time it was stopped by the Loco Pilot on being warned of fire in the train by ASM/Diwana". Further, following detailed inspection of the coaches, the CRS has observed that the upper luggage racks near the doorways bore signs of explosion whereas all other racks were seen to have bent downwards in a curved form due to intense heat of the fire. "No damages due to explosion were seen on the berths and in the surrounding areas below these berths to give any indication that anything explosive might have been kept under the lower berths in the cabin areas," the report says.

This is how the CRS reconstructs the sequence of events:

• The train ran through Samalkha railway station and when it entered Diwana station section, the gateman of the traffic level crossing gate number 47 heard two sounds of explosion, one after the other in quick succession, when the complete train had cleared his level crossing gate

• When the train passed the Diwana railway station building, Diwana's Assistant Station Manager (ASM), who had come out of his office to exchange signals with the crew of this train, saw fire in one coach

• The ASM ran into his office and tried to put the Advanced Starter Signal to On position and using the VHF set, asked the loco pilot to stop the train since it was on fire

• Hearing the messages from his guard and the ASM, the loco pilot applied A-9 brake and brought the train to a halt at 11.51 pm.

Recommendations made

• Strict luggage check at Delhi Railway station as is done at Attari, since the train after starting from Delhi stops only at Attari

• Identification of unclaimed or suspicious baggage undertaken in all trains

• Review of coach designs to provide quick emergency exits in case of fire

• Vestibuling of all coaches in trains which would be of great help to passengers trying to move away from coaches on fire