New Delhi, June 10: Three coaches of Howrah Mail derailed near Igatpuri railway station in Maharashtra in the wee hours of Sunday. As soon the mishap was reported, security forces rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.  The reason behind derailment is yet to be known.

Coach S-12, S-13 and pantry car of the train were derailed.  The rail traffic was affected for some time but Railway officials said it will be restored soon. Seven trains were initially diverted due to the affected line. Reportedly, 12 trains on the route have been cancelled, one short terminated due to the derailment.

In a similar incident on May 13, the engine of Patna-Kota express train derailed after it hit a fallen tree in Dariyabad town in Barabanki. The accident happened when the train moving towards Lucknow from Patna via Faizabad, collided with a tree that had fallen on the track due to the thunderstorm that struck Uttar Pradesh a few days ago.

The passengers who were inside the train escaped unhurt. Train operations have been affected due to the incident.

In April, five coaches of the Katni-Chaupan passenger train derailed between the Salhna and Piparia Kalan stations in Madhya Pradesh, leaving at least six people injured. The derailment occurred around 10 pm, about 30 km away from the Katni railway station.

Sitapur police claimed to have gunned down an alleged criminal in an encounter in Ramkot area early on Saturday. Two policemen, too, were injured in the alleged encounter. A total of 58 people have been gunned down in alleged encounters since the Yogi Adityanath government came to power in the state last year.

According to police, 40-year-old Shareef Banjara, hailing from Lakhimpur Kheri, had 20 criminal cases against him, including attempt to murder, dacoity and theft. He carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, they added. He was wanted in connection with three dacoity cases lodged in 2016, said police. Sub-Inspector Mahesh Pathak of City Kotwali police station said a team, led by Inspector Jainudeen Ansari, was patrolling near Gaura village when they spotted three people on a motorcycle.

He claimed the team signalled the motorcycle to stop but those on it opened fire instead. “Police retaliated in self defence,” he said. In the crossfire, a motorcyclist and two policemen — Inspector Ansari and constable Ravi Verma — were injured. The other two motorcyclists escaped, he said. The three injured were rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared the motorcyclist dead.

The injured policemen had suffered gunshot injuries on their hands, but their condition was stable, said S-I Pathak. Shareef Banjara was identified from a driving license found on the body, said police. They added that a .12 bore gun, a country-made pistol, cartridges and a motorcycle were also recovered from the spot of the incident.