Global General

Indian train mishap kills 71

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-29 12:00

A rescue worker stands next to a body of a passenger at the site of a train accident at Jhargram area in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal May 28, 2010. [Agencies]

Naxal rebels claim responsibility for sabotage of railway track

NEW DELHI - India's extreme left-wing Naxal rebels have claimed responsibility for the sabotage on the railway tracks which led to a collision between an express train and a freight train in Jhargram in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal in the wee hours of Friday, which killed 71 people, a senior police official said.

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"The Naxalites' People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) has left two posters near the rail tracks clearly owning responsibility for the derailment of the Kurla-bound Gyaneswari Express," Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Surajit Pur Kayastha told the media.

He quoted the posters as saying: "We earlier demanded withdrawal of the joint security forces from Jangalmahal (West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia) ..., but those demands were not met."

At least 71 people were killed and over 200 others were injured when a freight train hit an express train after the latter derailed following a sabotage of the railway tracks in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal early Friday morning, said police.

The incident happened at 01:30 am (local time) when the Mumbai-bound Howrah-Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Super Deluxe Express was running between the Khemasoli and Sardiya stations near Jhargram area in the state.

Earlier West Bengal Police chief Bhupinder Singh told the media in state capital Kolkata that the Naxalites were behind the incident.

"We suspect the hand of Naxalites as a section of the rail track was found missing and fishplates were loosened," he said, adding that posters of Naxalite organizations have been found at the site.

The crash occurred in an area known to be a stronghold of the rebels, said Reuters reports. Naxals, who say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless and want to overthrow the government, have stepped up attacks in recent months.

"It appears to be a case of sabotage where a portion of the railway track was removed. Whether explosives were used is not yet clear," Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said in a statement.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier said a bomb had hit the passenger train, derailing it.

"As of now we have got information that 71 dead bodies have been recovered. There may be many more," Samar Ghosh, Home Secretary of West Bengal state, told a news channel. The incident comes days after a passenger airliner crashed in southern India, killing 158 people.

The insurgency has created a sense that India is not fully in control of its territories and increased the risks for mining firms that operate mineral-rich areas controlled by rebels.

Xinhua - Reuters