The CBI accused three railway employees of culpable murder and evidence destruction, alleging that the Balasore train catastrophe, which claimed 296 lives in June, was the result of activities taken by the three railway employees who were arrested with full knowledge of the repercussions of their decisions. Murder charges, officials said, were not invoked for absence of any motive or intent. The sabotage angle has been ruled out, sources said.
Those charged by the CBI are senior section engineer (signal) and in charge at Balasore Arun Mahanta, Mohammad Amir Khan, a section engineer, and technician Pappu Kumar. The sections which the accused have been charged under are different from the ones in the FIR.
Mahanta was directly monitoring the work at LC gate No. 94, according to the CBI's chargesheet. The accused had the direct responsibility for the effective maintenance of the signal and telecommunication assets of Bahanaga Bazar Railway Station in Balasore because he was the senior sectional engineer in-charge of that station.