Railways seek CBI probe into Sainthia train mishap

According to highly placed sources in the Railway Ministry, a letter seeking CBI probe has been sent by Railway Board Chairman Vivek Sahai to the Home Ministry. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had hinted about the possibility of a conspiracy behind the deadly collision while Sahai had described the loco pilots' action as "very unusual".

Besides the CBI probe, Railways have also sought viscera report of the loco drivers killed in the accident. Sources said the sequence of events which led to the accident was highly suspicious as loco pilots of Uttarbanga Express did not respond to any warnings while the train overshot the signal and hit Vananchal express from behind.

The train was entering the Sainthia station at 63 km per hour despite it being a scheduled stoppage. Currently the Commissioner Railway Safety is conducting the inquiry into the cause of the accident. Besides CRS, West Bengal CID is also probing the train tragedy involving incident.

The CBI is also probing the Jnaneshwari train accident which claimed 148 lives. Meanwhile, Banerjee today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during which she is understood to have discussed safety related issues and the steps that the Railways are taking in this regard.