Rajdhani derailment: Railway board sticks to sabotage theory

New Delhi: Even while an inquiry has been ordered in the Dibrugarh-Rajdhani accident, the Railways is still hinting at sabotage in the derailment, which left four passengers dead on Wednesday.

The commissioner of the rail safety of the ministry of aviation will inquire into the causes of the train mishap. Commissioner of rail safety (eastern circle) P.K. Vajpayee will inquire into the causes of the train derailment, the Railways said on Thursday.

Union minister of state for Railways Manoj Sinha, however, hinted at sabotage, as he said that 20 critical clips, which bind the tracks, were missing from the site of the accident.

“It’s too early to say what led to the derailment. But the missing clips suggest that some trained person removed them,” Mr Sinha told mediapersons.
Mr Sinha, along with Union railways minister Sadananda Gowda and two rail board members, had visited the site of the accident. The two ministers had later briefed the Prime Minister about the Rajdhani mishap.

Mr Sinha also ruled out the option of running an engine escort for the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains, saying it was not feasible. Even though Union home minister Rajnath Singh had ruled out the role of the Maoists in the train mishap, senior BJP leaders from Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, had claimed that the accident took place due to sabotage.

The Rajdhani mishap took place within one month of another train, Gorakhdham Express, derailing in UP in which 23 passengers lost their lives.