Blast or sabotage: What caused train derailment?

Jhargram: The derailment of the Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Super Deluxe Express in West Midnapore district which left over 70 passengers dead on Friday, threw up a number of contradictions on what caused the mishap.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, who flew to the accident spot in a helicopter, said the derailment was caused by a bomb blast and indicated that Maoists were behind it. The blast theory was supported by South Eastern Railway General Manager AP Mishra who said gelatin sticks and TNT explosives were found on the tracks. In Delhi, Railway Board Member (Traffic) Vivek Sahai said "We suspect Maoist hand behind the blast."

Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram said the disaster appeared to be an act of sabotage, but it was not yet clear whether explosives were used in the blast.

"It appears to be a case of sabotage where a portion of the railway track was removed. Whether explosives were used is not yet clear," he said in a statement.

West Bengal Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh, on the other hand, specifically said that clips which tie tracks together were open for a 50 metre stretch at the accident spot, while maintaining that the blast theory was yet to be established.

IGP (Law and Order) Surojit Karpurokayastha said according to preliminary investigation fish plates had been removed.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee blamed the Maoists for the disaster. Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen said eyewitnesses reported smoke billowing from the bottom of derailed coaches, but it was not confirmed.

Though the police said that People's Committee Against Police Atrocities had claimed responsibility, its spokesman denied it.

"The PCPA has left two posters near the rail tracks clearly owning responsibility for the derailment," Purokayastha said.

The posters, which were seized, said the demand for withdrawal of the joint security forces from West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia district had not been met.

PCPA spokesman Asit Mahato, however, told PTI over phone, "We are in no way involved." Asked about the posters, he asked, "What can we do if somebody places posters claiming responsibility on our behalf. We are in the dark and it is the job of the police to find out who has done it."