Bihar CM rules out Maoist role in Rajdhani mishap

June 25, 2014 12:54 pm | Updated December 04, 2021 11:09 pm IST - Patna

Rescue work continues while people look at the derailed Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express near Chapra in Bihar on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

Rescue work continues while people look at the derailed Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express near Chapra in Bihar on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday ruled out the involvement of Maoists in the Rajdhani Express derailment in Chapra which left four persons dead and said the incident appears to be a result of “error” on the part of Railways.

“Prima facie it does not appear to be the handiwork of Maoists in the Rajdhani derailment at Chapra,” he told reporters. He ruled out “sabotage” by Maoists as the cause behind the derailment of New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express.

“No trace of blast on the track or any other evidence suggesting sabotage has been found so far,” he said.

Mr. Manjhi said he spoke to Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda about the incident and also drew his attention towards announcement of ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the family of the deceased whereas the standard practise is to pay Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia in such cases.

He questioned why a pilot engine was not run ahead of Rajdhani Express as per standard practise in the Maoists-hit region. “The incident appears to be a result of error on the part of Railways,” he said.

Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Mr. Manjhi announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of the dead. He also announced free medical treatment for the injured taken to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) from Chapra.

Director General of Police P. K. Thakur, who assumed duty as DGP yesterday, also ruled out Maoist involvement. “No indication of blast or live bombs have been found from tracks from near the incident site so far,” Mr. Thakur told PTI.

He said Additional Director General of Police, Rail, K. S. Dwivedi has been sent to the spot in Chapra for investigation. Mr. Dwivedi, who was on way to Chapra, said that he has already despatched a forensic and bomb disposal team.

Four passengers were killed and eight injured when the Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed at Golden Ganj station near Chapra early on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, ex-Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has blamed the Railways for gross negligence.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.