Nitish govt hands over Rajdhani probe to CID

IG Headquarters Anil Sinha said the case will now be handled by the CID. ‘‘The CID is a competent wing of the police and it has been asked to probe the case,’’ he pointed out.

Meanwhile, sources said the Magadh DIG’s move to transfer the case was in violation of norms. ‘‘It is ridiculous, one DIG handing over the probe to another DIG. How can a DIG in Gaya decide who should probe the matter?,’’ wondered a senior police officer.

The issue had caught media attention on Monday after Magadh DIG Arvind Pandey said he had asked the DIG (Railways) to record the statement of the Railway Minister.

Everything happened at the behest of Pandey, who ordered a fresh probe into the Rajdhani mishap near Gaya, pointing out that there was evidence that the accident was a conspiracy to defame then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar. Incidentally, Nitish is now the Chief Minister of Bihar.

The NDA government had decided to record the statements of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and former DGP of Bihar R R Prasad, besides former police superintendent of Aurangabad Sunil Kumar Jha for allegedly influencing the investigation.

After prolonged sparring over the tragedy between the Railways and erstwhile RJD government, which ended recently with Lalu asserting that there was no lapse on the part of the Railways leading to the disaster, the arrest of a Naxalite leader Sanjay Yadav from Khwaspur village under Aati police station in the Naxal-hit Gaya district on February 6 has created a fresh controversy over the issue.

‘‘Since the DGP is chief of police heading all the police stations in Bihar, his statement that the disaster was caused by negligence of the Railways would certainly have influenced the investigation earlier,’’ Pandey, who had in his supervision report ordered recording of their statements, had said.

‘‘Moreover, Lalu Prasad, whose party (RJD) was in power at that time, had also alleged poor upkeep of the track and Dhawa bridge near Rafiganj station which led to the derailment.’’