Vande Bharat Express stoned in Bihar, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee slams defame bid

SILIGURI/KOLKATA: The Railway Protection Force and Bihar cops on Thursday identified four minors and arrested three of them from Bihar's Kishanganj for pelting stones at the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express on Tuesday, prompting Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to decry the systematic "defamation campaign" against her state and the spread of fake news.

The arrests came two days after the incident at Mangurjan in Bihar's Kishanganj district after high-resolution CCTV cameras on the moving train captured the minors assembling and pelting stones.
"The vandalism of the Vande Bharat Express did not take place in Bengal. CCTV footage from Indian Railways shows that the incident took place in Bihar. The law will take its course against those who deliberately spread fake news," Banerjee told reporters before leaving Gangasagar for Kolkata on Thursday.
Banerjee, while referring to "defamation campaign" against Bengal, said: "The people of Bihar may be angry as they, too, want a Vande Bharat Express. But ... that does not mean we can insult the entire Bihar. I believe Bihar deserves a Vande Bharat Express. Just because the BJP is not in office there any longer does not mean they should be vindictive."
'Old train with new coat of paint': Didi slams Vande 'hype'
Northeast Frontier Railways chief public relations officer Sabyasachi De said on Thursday that four boys were caught on CCTV cameras pelting stones at the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express on Tuesday at Mangurjan in Bihar and not in New Jalpaiguri.
"The RPF identified them based on the CCTV footage and three of them were picked up from Bihar in coordination with the Bihar Police. An FIR has been lodged by Bihar cops," De said.
A search is on for three other minors. They will be prosecuted under Section 152 of Railways Act, 1989, read with the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015," De added. Section 152 of the Railways Act is a non-bailable offence with a prison term ranging from a decade to a life term.
Railway officials said the footage of Monday's stone-pelting incident in Bengal's Malda was not clear. "There was dense fog. We can hardly make out anything. But efforts are on to trace the offenders," De said.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who slammed the defamation of Bengal over the incident, also questioned the hype around the Vande Bharat.
"What is this Vande Bharat Express? All they have done is give an old train a fresh coat of paint. Only the engine seems new. A lot of old rakes have been withdrawn. I used to inaugurate over 100 trains a year when I was the railways minister. Not a single new train besides the Vande Bharat Express has been introduced in the past 11 years," she added.
BJP had lashed out against the state government after stones were pelted at the train twice in two days. The first incident on Monday took place when the train was crossing Kumarganj in Malda; the second came to light on Tuesday when the train reached NJP station. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had demanded a NIA probe.
The Vande Bharat had a smooth run from Howrah to NJP on Thursday.
(Inputs from Pinak Priya Bhattacharya in Jalpaiguri)