Odisha 3-train crash: 'CBI inquiry recommended to rule out possible criminality'

BHUBANESWAR: The government recommended a CBI inquiry into the Friday train tragedy at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Sunday.
“The situation in which this accident happened and the current situation, keeping all these things in mind and whatever administrative information we have got, for further investigation into the entire episode, the Railway Board has decided to hand it over to the CBI,” Vaishnaw told media persons in Bhubaneswar.
Sources said the CBI inquiry was recommended to rule possible criminality since the accident was unprecedented in Indian railway history and the causes unexplained. There is a strong suspicion about manipulation in the interlocked signal system because of which the Coromandel Express had got green signal to move towards Chennai while on the ground its path was open towards a loopline where it dashed with a iron-ore laden goods train.
Earlier in the day, Vaishnaw said while the inquiry by the commissioner of railway safety is awaited, the root cause of the accident and people responsible have been identified. “The commissioner of railway safety has been investigating the matter. Let the investigation report come,” he said.