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Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said the Maoist hand is suspected in Friday's train derailment in West Bengal''s West Midnapore District, adding that the needle of suspicion on the Jhargram incident is on the Maoists.
"Needle of suspicion is on Maoists. Maoist or frontal organisation are behind the train tragedy," said Chidambaram during his monthly briefing of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
"Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Jhargram incident. I have sought the West Bengal government''s view on the CBI report into the incident," he added.
Chidambaram said there is no proposal to announce Chhattisgarh''s Dantewada District as a disturbed area, adding that it is too early to comment on the use of the Indian Air Force (IAF) against Maoists.
Earlier on Friday, Chidambaram said the train derailment in West Bengal appeared to be an act of sabotage, but it was not yet clear whether explosives were used to blast the track.
"It appears to be a case of sabotage, where a portion of the track was removed. Whether explosives were used is not yet clear," he said in a statement.
Three days after the train derailment, the search is still on for the missing relatives and friends.
The number of dead has risen to over 148, with more bodies being found from the wreckage. Several others injured in the mishap are being treated at different hospitals in Midnapore, Kharagpur, Jhargram and Kolkata.