Midnapore: Amidst allegations that the
People`s Committee against Police Atrocities played a role in
Jnaneswari Express derailment, the Maoist-backed organization on Sunday denied any involvement in the incident and charged the
CPI-M with "hatching the plot".
"We have no intention to target trains and we condemn and
mourn such a colossal loss of civilian lives," PCPA convener,
Asit Mahato told PTI over telephone and charged the CPI(M)
"with hatching the plot".
A day after the state police claimed to have identified
two persons of the PCPA recently released on bail having a
hand in the derailment of the train`s 13 coaches, Mahato said,
"Politically motivated statements are being issued to separate
us from the masses."
"We will take out a procession in the Jangalmahal to
mourn the dead in the train disaster. We strongly condemn such
acts which take lives of common, innocent men and we express
deep shock," Mahato said.
Countering police`s claim, the PCPA leader named four
CPI-M district and local leaders and alleged "Under their
leadership, the CPI(M) has opened camps in the last 15 days at
Burjoli, Kolla, Patri and Dahimara villages close to Sardiha
where the express train derailed."
The mishap that occurred in the wee hours Friday has
claimed 148 lives so far.
Mahato further alleged the four CPI(M) leaders "conspired
to create panic by triggering a train mishap and the objective
is to malign us and take us away from the people in
Jangalmahal by creating a bad name for us."
The PCPA leader said "CPI(M) had plans to politically
isolate Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee so that she is forced
to resign under directive of the UPA government after the
train mishap".
"We strongly protest against such a conspiracy by the
CPI(M) which led to such a heinous crime," Mahato said.
The Railway Minister had said yesterday that there was "a
political conspiracy" in the derailment of the Jnaneswari
Express two days ahead of the civic polls in the state.
"Whoever did it... it was a political conspiracy. The
accident has happened two days before the (civic) election.
One may be politically against us, but I feel bad the way the
incident was engineered to fulfil one`s political interests",
Banerjee had said.
PTI
