Gyaneshwari mishap a political conspiracy, CBI to probe: Mamata

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee today alleged that there was a political conspiracy behind the Gyaneshwari Express disaster in West Midnapore and said the Centre has agreed for a CBI probe into it.

"From the railways, we have requested the Union home ministry for a CBI investigation into the incident since it was in Jangalmahal where joint operation (against Maoists) is on. We have already sent a letter and the Centre has agreed to order it," Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata.

Without mentioning names she said, "Whoever did it, it was a political conspiracy. The accident has happened two days before the (civic) election. One may be politically against us, but I feel bad that the way the incident was engineered to fulfill one's political interest."

Sources in Delhi said the CBI is likely to probe the derailment which claimed over 100 lives and the home ministry is in touch with the railway ministry and the West Bengal government to hand over the investigation to the agency to unravel the conspiracy behind it.

Home ministry officials feel that the CBI can conduct a thorough investigation as it has sufficient expertise and infrastructure to do it, they said.

According to the sources, prima facie the probe indicated involvement of Maoists, who have strong presence in the area, besides several leaflets of Maoists-backed People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA) being found near the
mishap site.

The investigating agencies have also found it a little hard to believe that there was a blast leading to the derailment and such huge casualties.

"Had there been a blast, there would have been a crater. But there is no sign of any crater along the track on the spot," an official said.

West Bengal inspector general of police S Karpurakayastha said the Maoists link in the derailment was clear, but declined to say if more evidence pointing to it has been found.

Asked about whether there had been a blast prior to the derailment, he said the forensic report was awaited.

Home minister P Chidambaram had said yesterday that train derailment in West Midnapore appeared to be an act of sabotage but it was not yet clear whether explosives were used to blast the tracks.

On the police theory that fish plates were removed, Banerjee said, "I do not know from where this story has come. The railway lines there were long-welded railway lines which have no fish plates."