Maoists behind Rajdhani mishap in 2002: Cops

Yadav was arrested from Khwaspur village under Aati police station in Gaya district.

Pandey also said that Sanjay Yadav was then sub-zonal area commander of the MCC, which merged with the People’s War to form CPI(Maoist). Another MCC rebel Vikas Yadav had earlier admitted his involvement in the case, he said. ‘‘The Rajdhani Express was targetted under a well-hatched conspiracy during the RJD government to defame Nitish kumar,’’ Sanjay Yadav is claimed to have said in his statement to the police.

Kumar, now Bihar Chief Minister, had at that time not ruled out the possibility of a sabotage leading to the disaster and castigated the RJD government for the law-and-order situation.

‘‘We will probe the incident afresh in the wake of Sanjay Yadav’s confession,’’ Pandey said, adding that the role of the then officer in-charge of the Rafiganj police station, who was alleged to have made ‘‘a cover-up attempt’’ in connection with the disaster, would also be probed.

The officer had even refused to entertain the complaint of the Railway Protection Force officials who had suspected involvement of the Naxalites, Pandey said. Then officer in-charge of the Rafiganj police station, Ashok Kumar Singh, had in the FIR held ‘‘mechanical fault’’ as the cause behind the disaster.

Sources said that an encounter had taken place between the police and the Naxalites at Dhaba railway bridge near Rafiganj station in 2000 when the rebels had made an abortive attempt to blow up the bridge.