Rajdhani Express derailment: Railway suspects `sabotage`

New Delhi: Railway on Wednesday suspected "sabotage" by Maoists behind the derailment of Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express at Golden Ganj station near Chapra in Bihar as there was a blast on the track.

"Prima facie, it appears to be a case of sabotage. There was a blast on the track, which could have caused the derailment," Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar told PTI. "Another goods train, 60 kms away from the station, also got derailed due to a blast. 18 wagons got derailed in the accident," Kumar said. The Maoists have given bandh call to protest security forces` "strong armed" action against "innocent people" in the area on suspicion of being Maoists sympathiser. Kumar said Railway has ordered an enquiry to be conducted by Commissioner Railway Safety, Eastern Circle to know the causes of the accident. Meanwhile, a live bomb fitted with a timer device has been found near tracks, which has given credence to reports of Maoists having a role in the incident. Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda has announce ex-gratia of rupees 2 lakh for the family of each of the deceased, rupees one lakh for the grievously injured passengers and 20 thousand rupees for those with minor injuries. Passengers of the ill-fated train have been shifted to the nearby station to leave for their further destination.