New Delhi: Home Minister P Chidambaram has said that "the needle of suspicion in the attack on the Gyaneshwari Express in West Bengal points to the CPI-Maoists or a front organization for the CPI-Maoists."
Last week, more than 140 passengers were killed in West Midnapore when the Gyaneshwari Express headed to Mumbai derailed about 135 kms from Kolkata. The Gyaneshwari Express was then hit by a speeding goods train.
Chidambaram's latest statement about the Maoists contradicts Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is a key ally in the UPA coalition. Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress say that there is no evidence that the Maoists were involved in the attack on the Gyaneshwari Express.
Banerjee has asked for a CBI investigation into the attack.
Senior West Bengal police officers have said that early leads suggest the Maoists were responsible for the tragedy.