Conspiracy theory: Nitish backtracks, Advani puts brakes

Rana, during a press conference yesterday, had said it appeared to be a case of sabotage by Pakistan’s ISI. ‘‘It was the use of word ISI which irritated the DyPM. At a time when India is fighting Pak-sponsored terrorism, blaming everything on ISI destroys the Government’s credibility,’’ said an official. Rana too was asked by the DyPM to restrain himself and choose his words with caution.

To see how much weight the sabotage theory carried, Advani had also called Intelligence Bureau chief K P Singh for the meeting. ‘‘He wanted to know if there had been any intelligence reports indicating any such attack on the railways. Singh replied in the negative,’’ the sources said.

Soon after the one-hour meeting with Advani, Nitish said, ‘‘Let’s wait for the inquiry report of Commissioner Railway Safety.’’ However, he failed to say when the inquiry was to be completed. ‘‘The interim report should come within a few days but the final report can take some time.’’

The Rabri Devi’s government today filed a criminal case under various sections of the Railway Act and the IPC at the Aurangabad police station. The case was filed against the driver and guard of the Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani Express and other railway employees.

This happened even as the Railways filed a criminal case at Deo police station against unnamed persons to make out a case of sabotage.

Incidentally, the final report of the last major derailment involving Shramjeevi Express near Jaunpur in May 2002, which killed 15 persons, is still awaited. Nitish Kumar had at that time too claimed sabotage as the cause since some fish-plates were found lying loose near the tracks. Asked about the CRS report of the Shramjeevi incident, he said today that he did not know when it was expected.

Even in the Gaisal train collision — between Awadh-Assam Express and Brahmputra Mail — in August 1999, in which 320 people had died, the Railways had cried sabotage and blamed the ISI. In fact, the first report sent by the assistant station master had mentioned a bomb blast.