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Sabotage theory gains credence

By D. Sreenivasulu

KURNOOL DEC. 22. Buttressing the theory of sabotage, the teams investigating the accident of the Kacheguda-Bangalore Express near Pendekal in Kurnool district, in which 20 persons were killed and 80 injured, recovered a hacksaw frame and broken blades from the accident site and nearby fields. Last night, a dog squad guided the police to the material, believed to have been used to cut the rail.

Railway authorities delayed track restoration work on Saturday, following a request by the Kurnool Superintendent of Police, N. Sanjay, that some more time was required to press into service forensic experts. The forensic team visited the spot on Sunday and collected the samples. The South Central Railway General Manager, S.M. Singla, supervising the restoration work, had been emphatic that the rail was cut causing the mishap. He said three to four marks were found in the area close to the cut, indicating that the miscreants struggled to establish the saw on the hard surface of the rail. According to Mr. Singla, the miscreants separated the disjoined rail and covered the end facing the approaching train with a cloth. He said that even if the driver had noticed the tampering of the track at the last minute, it would have been difficult to avoid derailment but the damage could have been minimum.

UNI, reports from Hyderabad:

The Andhra Pradesh Director-General of Police, P. Ramulu, has summarily ruled out the involvement of the People's War naxalites. Quoting a forensic report, he said here that "the rail has been sawed over a period of days".

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