Railway authorities and police are investigating if there was any sabotage by Maoists. The train toppled over near Chapra station, 75 km from Patna, at about 2 am.
“Prima facie, it appears to be a case of sabotage,” Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar said. “There was a blast on the track, which could have caused the derailment.” But Home Minister Rajnath Singh said it was “too early” to blame the insurgents.
Contrary to a provision of piloting all popular passenger trains like Shatabdi and Rajdhani Express to check safety of railway tracks, officials acknowledged that the precaution was ignored.
The accident site is prone to attacks by Maoists who had earlier called for a strike in the area, protesting against police excesses.
Police said they had recovered three crude explosive devices planted in a marketplace in a nearby town.
A freight train also went off the tracks causing in Bihar on Wednesday causing no casualty.
