Title - Maoist sabotage whiff in goods train derailment -

KOLKATA: Derailment of a goods train in the Muri-Chandil single line section of South Eastern Railway (SER) in the wee hours of Monday sparked off rumours of a possible Maoist strike. While locals claimed that they were woken up from their sleep by a loud noise that sounded like a blast, SER officials said the driver did not report anything of that sort. Though a single line section, important trains like the Bhubaneswar Rajdhani and Neelanchal Express pass through it.

The incident occurred barely hours before the start of the Chief Ministers' Conference on Internal Security in New Delhi. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has skipped the conference but will be in the Capital in May for a meeting on the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC). Though the Maoists have not claimed responsibility as yet, experts believe that the Naxalites could have carried out such a strike to establish themselves as a potent force along the Bengal - Jharkhand border.

Though Muri and Chandil are both in Jharkhand, a section of the railway tracks connecting these two points pass through Purulia. In fact, Ilu, Torang and Suisa - the stations after Muri towards Chandil - are all in Purulia. The derailment occurred between Torang and Suisa around 2.15am due to which 32 loaded wagons and two locomotives jumped the tracks. Though security agencies didn't recover any Maoist posters, officials admitted that the rebels are present in the area.

"The rake was loaded with limestone at Mehgaon near Jabalpur and was moving towards Tatanagar. It was moving at about 55-57 km per hour when the derailment took place. The driver did not report any blast but felt a jerk before the locomotives and wagons moved away from the tracks. In the dark, the driver may have missed a small fracture in the tracks. There is also a steep 'down gradient' at the point where the incident occurred. It may not be possible at the moment to ascertain whether sabotage was involved," an SER official said.

Senior SER officials from Kolkata rushed to the spot on Tuesday. General manager A K Verma, who is in Delhi, will also proceed to the site. The Howrah-Hatia Express has been diverted via Chandil-Purulia-Kotshila-Muri and the Bhubaneswar Rajdhani will run via Chandil- Purulia-Barbenda-Bokaro Steel City-Rajabera. Four other trains, including Neelanchal Express, have also been diverted.