Motorman of Gyaneswari train files complaint against 'unidentified miscreants'

The motorman of the Gyaneswari Express filed a complaint with the Jhargram GRP on Saturday against "unidentified miscreants" for the railway disaster in West Midnapore district.

Jhargram GRP Superintendent of Police Shankar Chakraborty said the complaint was filed "against unidentified miscreants" under sections 150 (maliciously wrecking or attempting to wreck a train) and 151 (damage to or destruction of certain railway properties) of the Railway Act.

Chakraborty said that the driver B K Das had also mentioned an explosion at the time of derailment.

The train derailed on Friday after being attacked by the Maoists in Jhargram, killing 98 people.

South Eastern Railway officials in Kolkata said the driver has mentioned that he had heard the sound of a blast and a felt a big jerk after which he applied the brakes.

The officials said Das had handed over the complaint on Friday to the officer-in-charge of the Jhargram Railway Police, who could not register it immediately.

On whether Das had named the Maoists in his FIR, they said, "The driver has mentioned what he has experienced. How will he know who carried out the blasts?"

The director general of police had also spoken to Das, they said.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had spoken of a "bomb blast" on the railway tracks before the express went off the tracks between Khemasoli and Sardiya stations, 135 km from Howrah.

She had also mentioned that TNT and gelatine sticks had been found at the accident spot.

DGP Bhupinder Singh had said that pendral clips were open along a 50-metre stretch at the accident spot and the blast theory was not confirmed.