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Rajdhani Express derailment gross negligence: Lalu

by IBNS 25 Jun 2014, 12:23 am

Patna, June 25 (IBNS) Former Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday condemned the derailment of the New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express in Bihar and said it was an incident of gross negligence.

"This is gross negligence. From the day this government took oath, there have been accidents across the country. They are just immersed in their own pride," Lalu told CNN-IBN.

"This is a major accident. 4 people are dead and many injured. Why were precautions not taken by the railways? There should have been patrolling half an hour before the train departs. Why wasn't it done? The administration is talking about a sabotage. Then the responsibility of Railways increases all the more," he told the news channel.

"We demand swift action and strict punishment for those found guilty. Rs 10 lakh compensation. This meagre compensation is an eyewash," he added.

Meanwhile, Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda will visit the spot of the incident. 

The New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed near Chapra town at Saran district in Bihar early Wednesday killing at least four passengers and injuring over nine others.

According to reports, at around 2.15 am, nine coaches of the train derailed and overturned around 75 km from Patna, while seven other coaches and the power car went off track. 

Most passengers were sleeping when the incident occurred. 

The Railways Ministry said it suspects that the Maoists triggered a blast on the tracks resulting in the derailment of the train.

"Reasons are said to have been sabotage and there was a bandh called by Maoists," Gowda was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The police reportedly found three bombs about 20 km from Chapra on Wednesday morning though they are yet to link it with the derailment incident.

The train started from New Delhi at 9.30 pm on Tuesday.

The Railways Ministry has announced Rs. 2 lakh compensation for those killed, and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.