West Bengal Police suspect Maoist hand behind train mishap

Kolkata, May 28 (ANI): West Bengal's Director General of Police, Bhupinder Singh, on Friday claimed that the Maoist could be behind the Gyaneshwari Express train accident.

Singh told a private news channel: "It appears to be the work of Maoists."

At least 20 people were killed and over 150 injured when 13 bogies of Mumbai-bound Howrah-Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Super Deluxe Express train derailed on Friday morning.

Railway officials also confirmed that the blast took place at 1:30 a.m.as the train was passing between the Khemasoli and Sardiya stations, about 135 kilometres from Kolkata.

Police have found flags belonging to a Maoist-backed organization at the mishap site. ingh also said a section of the railway track was found missing and confirmed that fishplates have been loosened.

He said the area has been secured and the injured have been taken to hospital.

"As soon as the information was received by the police, help was rushed", he said.

Earlier, the state's Inspector General for Law and Order, Surajit Kar, said it appeared to be a case of sabotage.

He said a large number of people are till trapped in derailed bogies that had been hit by the goods train.

Kar too said fishplates had been removed and also added that two posters belonging to the Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) had been found at the site. (ANI)