Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi on September 10 demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Nitish Kumar and rubbished the sabotage theory for the derailment of the 2301 UP Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express at Rafiganj, blaming the accident to negligence on the part of the Railways.

Announcing an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh for the next of kin of those killed in the accident after her return from the scene of the rail mishap, she told reporters that the tragedy took place due to negligence of the Railways in maintaining worn- out bridges constructed during British rule.

The bridge on the river Dhave, where the accident occurred, she said, was very old and the Railways had not cared to renovate it before allowing super-fast trains to cross it.

She joined Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, who had accompanied her in a state government helicopter, in lauding the role of the Army and the district administration in carrying out relief and rescue operations.

Earlier, the Railway Minister had said that a recent technical inspection of the tracks had found the route to be one of the safest in the country for running high- speed trains.

Director general of police R R Prasad and Excise Minister Shivanand Tiwari accompanied the Chief Minister on her visit.

PTI