25 June,2014 12:13 PM IST | | PTI
Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi today 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
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi today 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.
Also read: 4 killed, 8 injured as Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derails in Bihar
"Prima facie it does not appear to be the handiwork of Maoists in the Rajdhani derailment at Chapra," he told reporters.
ALSO READ
Congress tally to be all-time low in Lok Sabha elections 2024: PM Modi
WB's industrial wealth threatened by Modi's 'crony capitalist' policies: Cong
Gave seats we won five times to partners for sake of alliance: Uddhav Thackeray
Supriya's victory will reduce support for Modi by one MP in Parliament: Pawar
This election is crucial to save our constitution: INDIA bloc party workers
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. 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 dead 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, 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," Thakur told PTI. He said Additional Director General of Police, Rail, K S Dwivedi has been sent to the spot in Chapra for investigation. 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 today.