Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has suspected the involvement of Maoists in the derailment of the Gyaneshwari express on Friday as the incident comes on the first day of the 'black week' being observed by the Naxals.
Banerjee, who rushed to spot from Kolkata, said that a patrol engine had passed through the area, but the timing of the blast proved disastrous with a portion of the line being blown away.
At least 20 bodies have been taken out and 104 are feared injured after the tracks were blasted, derailing the Mumbai-bound Gyaneswari Express.
Asked specifically if Maoists were responsible, she said that because of the bomb blast the apprehension was that they were behind it.
"Let the rescue operations be over. After that we will get a report."
She condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
"It is very unfortunate that so many innocent lives have been lost. We should not play games with innocent lives," she said.
She said that the next of kin of each of the dead would be paid Rs five lakh and injured Rs 1 lakh.
The railways would also provide employment to a member of families of each of those killed.
Asked about railways running trains in Maoist-affected areas, she replied, "Should we stop running trains? Railway is a lifeline. It has been made a soft target. It should not be disturbed. We have restricted the speed of trains running through Maoist areas at 45 kmph.
The railways has already ordered a high-powered probe in the incident, she said, adding that she would write a letter to the Union Home minister for a separate investigation.
The railways was running trains in coordination with the state administration.
"Law and order is a state subject. The state government and home ministry should look into it. Four medical teams were at the spot and rescue operations by the Railways and Army was in full swing," she said.
She claimed that personnel from all railway departments had reached the accident immediately afterwards.
"I left at 2:00 am after being informed," she said.
The West Bengal government too has suspected Maoists to be behind the derailment."Sabotage by Maoists is very much suspected. The place where the accident took place is their stronghold," West Bengal's Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen said.
"Thirteen bogies jumped the rails. Four compartments were badly mangled. You can imagine how many passengers were travelling in those coaches," he said.
Asked about the death toll, Sen said rescue operations were on particularly in the four coaches hit by the goods train.
He said that Additional Secretary of the Union Home Ministry, D R S Sen, enquired about the accident from him.
"The state government is in constant touch with the Railways," he added.
