Possible Sabotage and Deliberate Tampering? Why Railways Wants CBI Probe Into Odisha Train Tragedy

As CBI is all set to take over the probe into the Balasore train crash, government sources on Monday indicated that there could have been “deliberate sabotage or tampering’ with the electronic interlocking system that resulted in the horrifying accident killing 278 people.

This comes a day after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw demanded a CBI investigation into the Odisha train crash, a move opposed by several opposition parties.

Many opposition leaders have also sought Vaishnaw’s resignation claiming that accountability should be fixed from top to bottom.

The BJP hit back, saying the track record of the Congress-led UPA government’s railway ministers was nothing short of a disaster and they should not politicise the issue.

Why railways want a CBI probe into the Odisha train crash?

On being asked about the need for a CBI probe when the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) was already investing the incident, an official told PTI that the preliminary inquiry revealed the need for a more thorough investigation due to the ‘sabotage’ angle.

“Lot of information has come during the course of the investigation. Various kinds of information have been made available which required a professional investigative agency,” PTI quoted the official as saying.

The accident in which a speeding Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train on the loop line instead of travelling on the main line indicated issues with the electronic interlocking system which changed the route of the train and led to the collision.

“Unless there is deliberate interference in the system, it is impossible that a route set for the main line is switched to the loop line,” he said.

CBI to begin an investigation soon

The CBI is all set to take over the probe into the Balasore train accident. The central agency will take over the Balasore GRP case number 64 registered by Odisha Police on June 3.

According to the procedure, the CBI re-registers the local police FIR as its own case and starts the probe.

It can also add or remove a charge from the FIR in its charge sheet filed after the completion of its probe.

(with PTI inputs)