Nearly two days after over 30 people lost their lives in a fire onboard the Tamil Nadu Express at Nellore, Railways Minister Mukul Roy did not rule out sabotage in the incident.
Although the police have found no motive for sabotage, the forensics sciences team is looking into details to ascertain whether it was a case of sabotage.
One of the main reasons for them to believe that there could have some mischief is because some passengers claimed that there was a loud explosion on the train.
Some passenger also claim that they bout saw four youngsters without any luggage on the train.
Whether these youngsters were the ones behind the fire or were they just passengers, who boarded the train at Vijayawada without reservation, is a matter that needs to be investigated.
According to Fredrick Micheal, a senior PRO with the South Central Railway, some passengers had heard an explosion. He also said that the matter was under investigation.
There are various other angles that are being probed. The huge amount of smoke, as some passengers pointed out, suggests a possible use of a chemical. This angle too is being investigated.
However, several persons in the state's intelligence say that there is no indication of a motive to torch the train. It could have well been a case of short circuit, but the other theory needs to be probed, they said. The agencies are unable to find any political motive or any other angle that point towards sabotage. Nellore in Andhra Pradesh has by and large been a peaceful area and there have been no instances of such activities in the past. With the agencies finding it hard to find a motive for sabotage it is making the probe even more difficult.
Although the Railways has a record of the passengers who were on the train, their probe would largely depend on the passengers who boarded the train at Vijayawada. They have not been able to track the people who got into the train without reservation.
