Mamata ‘not sure’ if Maoists were behind Jnaneswari mishap

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Jnaneswari Express mishap site. Banerjee on Tuesday said she was not sure about the involvement of Maoists in the derailment. Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury

A day after Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Maoists could be behind the attack on the Jnaneswari Express, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she was not sure about the involvement of the rebels.

“I do not know whether it is Maoists who were behind the attack. But whoever is behind the attack should be punished,” Ms. Banerjee told reporters here.

She said she does not want to comment further on the issue before the investigation is over.

“I am not a political astrologer. I cannot say anything before investigation,” she said.

Mr. Chidambaram on Monday said the needle of suspicion pointed to Maoists or their frontal organisations.

The Railways has asked for a CBI probe into the incident which claimed 149 lives. However the state government has not favoured such an idea.

“The matter of CBI probe is under the consideration of Ministry of Home Affairs,” Ms. Banerjee said.

The priority before the government is to ensure passengers’ safety and security, she said.

Ms. Banerjee termed the incident as a brutal murder of innocent people and said the government will do everything to punish the culprits.

On May 28, 13 coaches of the Maharashtra-bound train were derailed and later hit by a goods train coming from the opposite direction.