Maoists allowed another train to pass,waited for Rajdhani Exp

The derailed coaches did not slam into each other or topple over but simply ran aground,the wheels stuck in the stone bed beneath the tracks.

All on board were evacuated safely and taken to Mughalsarai on Tuesday morning by special trains. They were later accommodated in different Delhi-bound trains.

The Bhubaneswar Rajdhani was also targeted by Maoists last October when they managed to hijack the train between Kharagpur and Jhargram in West Bengal.

The train derailed at 11.47 pm between Kastha and Paraiya stations,10 minutes after it left Gaya. Incidentally,this is the same section where the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani derailed in September 2002,killing 106 people near Rafiganj it is about 25 km from the site of the Monday night derailment.

Bihar DGP Neelmani called it a clear-cut case of sabotage by ultras.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,relieved that there had been no casualty,said passenger safety had to be given top priority along routes through Maoist-hit areas. The Railways have asked the Commissioner of Railway Safety to conduct a probe.

Engine driver K K Singh said he spotted two Maoist flags next to the tracks from a distance. Before I could realise there was a problem and use the emergency brakes,the engine was over the two-and-half metre section that had been blown up, he said.

Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee announced an award of Rs 30,000 each to the engine driver and co-driver and Rs 20,000 each to the guard and train superintendent for displaying utmost devotion to duty even in the face of adverse situation.

Officials in the Railways Ministry said one of the main reasons why the derailed coaches didnt topple was because the Rajdhani was being run under a speed restriction of a maximum 75 kmph. Had the train been allowed to run at its optimum speed of 130 kmph,the damage could have been much more, a Ministry official said.

Officials said the German LHB coaches also played a significant role in preventing injuries to passengers. Not only do these coaches have much superior disc braking systems,they also have anti-climbing features which prevent coaches from piling on top of each other in case of accident, an official said.

The Maoists,who seemed to be familiar with the Railway practice of sending a pilot ahead of the Rajdhani,executed their plan in the short interval between the two trains. The ease with which they melted away also put a question mark on patrolling of the tracks in the area. Police could reach the spot only around 2 am there is only a semi-pucca road leading to it. The nearby villages of Kudra,Kastha,Kurnain and Isarpur are known Maoist hotspots.

Local residents said it was a close call for those on the Rajdhani. Thank god that the tracks on the bridge were not blown. Otherwise,it could have been another Rafiganj, said Sanjay Kumar who lives in Paraiya.

Gaya GRP officer Rajendra Prasad said a 14-member RPF escort,including an officer,was provided to the Rajdhani from Gaya till Mughalsarai. Plus there was combined patrolling by RPF and GRP. Usually,an eight-member escort is provided to a Rajdhani.

Prasad said the last track inspection was done between 8 pm and 9 pm,as is done routinely. He agreed that patrolling and inspection get difficult in the dark given the fears of a Maoist attack.

Asked about the last track inspection on Monday and the norms in place,Eastern Central Railway General Manager Sanjiv Handa said: Track inspection cannot be done after passing of every train or in 10 minutes. As in this case,only the railway safety inquiry will reveal that.