Bengal says no to CBI probe, PC says needle of suspicion points to Maoists

The West Bengal government today refused to allow a CBI inquiry into the Jnaneswari Express derailment at Sardiha in West Midnapore, which has so far claimed 148 lives.







"We received the request from the Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday, and the (West Bengal) chief secretary has given his reply today. We have said clearly that since the (state) CID is investigating the case and since it has already made some progress, there is no need for a CBI inquiry," Samar Ghosh, West Bengal home secretary, said.







The MHA had sought the Bengal government's views after Union Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee yesterday expressed suspicions of a possible political conspiracy behind the incident, and demanded a probe by the CBI.







At a news conference in New Delhi today, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said the Railway Ministry had sought a CBI probe, and the Centre had referred the matter to Bengal for its opinion.







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Following the Bengal home secretary's statement, Union home secretary G K Pillai said the Centre has no objection to a probe by the Bengal CID.







"If the CID on its own does the investigation, cracks the case and files a chargesheet, let them do it. We have no problem," Pillai told The Indian Express.







A CBI inquiry is possible only if the state government agrees, or a High Court orders one.







In Delhi, Chidambaram said it was likely that Maoists or their front organisations were behind the incident. "The needle of suspicion points to the CPI (Maoist) or a front organisation of the CPI (Maoist). However, the identity of the culprit can be established only in the investigation," he said.


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