Bhubaneswar, June 5: The Central Bureau of Investigation is all set to investigate and bring to the fore if the Bahanaga train accident was a result of human error or a well-planned conspiracy in the wake of Coromandel Express' loco pilot's contention that the train had been given green signal on the Up line.
The CBI will investigate why the Coromandel Express moved to the loop line when it was given a green signal on the Upline track.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered at the GRP police station under the sections of 337, 338, 304-A, and 34 of the IPC and Sections 153, 154, and 175 of the Railway Act.
Both the BJP and the BJD have hailed the Centre's decision for a CBI probe.
"CBI probe is a welcome step. The real reason behind the massive fatal accident will be known," said BJP president Manmohan Samal.
Senior BJD leader and Revenue and Disaster Minister Pramila Mallik said, "It is a good decision. Real culprits will be caught by the CBI."
According to the Railway Safety Commission, a goods train was standing on the loop line at Bahanaga Bazaar station. The Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, which was moving at a speed of 128 km per hour, changed its track from Upline to loop line all of a sudden. Thus, its engine went up an iron-ore-loaded bogey of the stationary goods train. Soon, coaches of the Coromandel lay scattered. At this very moment, the Jashomantapur-Howra Express was moving on the nearby track. It has almost passed but its last two bogeys were hit by the scattered coaches of the Coromandel. The sequence of events happened within a few seconds, taking the lives of 275 people and leaving a thousand others severely injured.
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