Naxalites did it says NIA probing Kuneru train accident in AP

The naxalites have been missing from Kuneru for long. Is this their revival?

The First Information Report registered by the NIA in connection with the Kuneru rail accident in Andhra Pradesh points to the role of naxalites. While this is not conclusive, the NIA says that all angles are being explored. The area in which the accident had taken place is naxal prone and hence this angle is being probed, NIA officials also said.

On January 22 a train derailed at Kuneru in AP following which over 40 people had been killed. An initial assessment of the accident suggested that the accident could have taken place due to a problem on the track. However further investigations pointed to sabotage.

The centre had said that the accident was suspected to be the handiwork of Left Wing Extremists while handing over the probe to the NIA which is also probing other train accidents.

NIA officials say that naxalites targeting trains is not new. In 2010, naxalites had removed the fish plates on the track as a result of which a goods train crashed into the Gyaneshwari Express in which 100 people were killed. The incident took place near Jhargam in West Bengal. In 2005 Naxalites had looted a train Kuneru. Three security personnel were killed in that incident before the Naxals looted Rs 15 lakh from a train.

The NIA has booked a case against Left-wing extremists under Section 150 of the Railways Act. A case under Sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act too has been booked.

Kuneru, where the accident occurred is situated in Komrada Mandal of Vizianagaram district, 10 kilometres away from the Andhra-Odisha border. The area is known for Naxal activitiy. Intelligence Bureau officials had pointed out at the time of the accident that there was no Naxal activity in this zone for the past year. However officials also did not rule out the return of such activity.

NIA officials suspect that Naxalites may have tampered with the track to cause the derailment. There was a 15-inch gap on the track that had led to the derailment. Apart from probing the possible involvement of Naxals, a probe to find out if the track had been damaged due to rust is also being conducted.

It may be recalled that following a probe by the Bihar police, it was suspected a module of the ISI was behind train accidents in India. It was learnt by the Bihar police that the Kanpur Express derailment was the handiwork of an ISI module that gave orders from Nepal. Even the Kuneru incident was suspected to be the handiwork of the ISI. However, now the NIA feels that it may have been the doing of the Naxalites.

OneIndia News