Human error,not sabotage: DGP

The CID probe was ordered on Tuesday by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee into the train crash at Sainthia station,about 190 km from Kolkata. Elaborating on it,DGP Singh said it was done since the accident,in which the Uttarbanga Express rammed the stationery Vananchal Express at high speed,involved victims from more than one state.

“A passenger of the Vananchal Express who was injured in the accident filed an FIR at Sainthia GRP and it is on the basis of that complaint that CID inquiry was ordered. The charge that was slapped was negligent and rash driving on the part of the drivers of Uttarbanga Express. A CID team has already left for the spot for investigation,” he said.

Commissioner of Railway Safety R P Yadav is conducting a separate probe. He will hold a court of inquiry at Sainthia station on Wednesday where the guard of Uttarbanga Express has been asked to be present. The drivers of Vananchal Express,who are also crucial witnessess,are also expected to be present. A second hearing would be held at Howrah later where anyone would be allowed to depose.

Meanwhile,railway officials are looking into reports about the presence of a third person in the driver’s cabin of Uttarbanga Express.

He was also killed and,according to preliminary reports,he could be a third train driver who had actually taken leave and was coming home to Kolkata in the driver’s cabin. He boarded the train either at Rampurhat or Malda,said officials.

According to railway officials inquiring into the accident,two factors have emerged strongly over others that could have caused the disaster. First,the extra 12-minute stoppage of Vananchal Express at the station even after it was given the green signal. Also,finally when it left,there was a chain pulling attempt to stop the train near the outer signal of Sainthia station. Three coaches of Vananchal were still within the platform when Uttarbanga ran into the train.

Railway sources said the signalling staff at Sainthia had actually given the green signal to Uttarbanga to roll into platform number 4,having asumed that Vananchal Express had rolled out and travelled a safe distance. When the Sainthia station master realised the signalling mistake,he made desperate attempts to alert the people about the speeding Uttarbanga Express over the public address system and urged people to move to safety.

The Commissioner of Railway Safety,however,refused to say anything when asked about the preliminary findings.

Railway drivers,who did not want to be named,told The Indian Express that the possibilty of the Uttarbanga drivers sleeping while on duty was remote. “The driver had stopped properly at Gangadharpur ahead of Sainthia and it was impossible for both of them to fall asleep within 7-8 minutes that the train took to cover the distance to Sainthia,” said a driver.

They also denied that the Uttarbanga Express could have been running at 80-90 kmph. They said that when Express or Mail trains enter stations where there is a stoppage,they at times do so at quite a high speed like 50-55 kmph. “There is absolutely no problem in controlling the train to a halt even at that speed,” said a driver at Sealdah station.

Earlier in the day,ADG,Railways Dilip Mitra met Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen and Home Secretary Samar Ghosh,and submitted a report on the accident. “We have given a report on the accident and the possible cause of it,” Mitra said.

Sudden Death
Death toll 63,40 identified

Compensation Rs 5 lakh to kin of dead

State CID and Commissioner of Railway Safety (Eastern Circle) will probe the accident

Of 58,605 sanctioned safety posts in Eastern Railway 7,504 vacant