Train attack: PC says needle of suspicion points to Maoists

New Delhi/Kolkata, May 31 (PTI) The Centre on Monday
said the needle of suspicion in the Jnaneswari Express
disaster killing 148 people pointed to Maoists, as the West
Bengal government ruled out a CBI probe in a snub to Railway
Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"The needle of suspicion points to Maoists or frontal
organisations of CPI Maoists," Chidambaram said in New Delhi
during his monthly media briefing, taking a line different
from Banerjee who said a "political conspiracy" by the state
government ahead of the civic polls was behind the derailment.
"However, the identity of the culprit can be
established only in the investigations," he said.
The Left-ruled government rejecting Trinamool Congress
leader's demand said the Union Home ministry had sent a letter
Sunday to Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen seeking concurrence of
the state government for a Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) probe into the derailment of the Howrah-Kurla express
train in eastern India's West Midnapore district in the wee
hours of May 28.
"The CID probe has progressed a great deal and the
state government does not feel that a parallel inquiry is
necessary," Home Secretary Samar Ghosh told reporters in
Kolkata when asked about the demand for a CBI inquiry.
Chidambaram said Railway Ministry has suggested that
there should be a CBI inquiry. "We have asked for West Bengal
government's views."
Asked about reports of blast on the track, Chidambaram
said, "I have been told by the West Bengal government and
other police officials who visited the site that so far there
is no trace of any explosives. The West Bengal government is
on record saying panrole clips were removed and track was cut.
That is also prima facie established. Only further
investigations will bring out the truth."
Alleging that there was a 'political conspiracy' behind
the disaster in a no-holds barred fight with the Communist
Party of India-Marxist on who was to blame, the Railway
minister on May 29 demanded a CBI investigation.
She had said the Railways had requested the Union
Home Ministry for a CBI probe since the disaster occurred in
'jangalmahal' where joint operations were on.
Charges of murder and attempt to murder and sabotage
have meanwhile been included in the FIR filed by the Railways
in connection with the disaster.
The police have been asked to add 'criminal
conspiracy,' 'murder,' and 'attempt to murder' charges in the
FIR, Additional DGP (Railways) Dilip Mitra told PTI.
"We have found that the ingredients of the driver's
account in the FIR were not enough to put up a strong case. So
I visited the spot myself and found that the incident prima
facie appeared to be an act of sabotage," he said.
Superintendent of the Jhargram Railway Police Shankar
Chakraborty had said on Saturday the Jnaneswari Express driver
B K Das filed the complaint against 'unidentified miscreants'
under sections 150 and 151 of the Railway Act.
Ghosh when asked why a Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) inquiry was ordered said generally the
Commissioner of Railway Safety inquired into railway
accidents. But since there was criminal involvement and
sabotage in the disaster, the CID was investigating it.
Asked how long the CID inquiry would take, he said,
"it can't be said immediately." PTI