Monday, May 15 2006 16:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Bihar's Deputy Inspector General of police has ordered recording of statements of Railway Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, whose party was in power during the 2002 Rajdhani Express accident near Rafiganj station in which 120 passengers were killed.

DIG (Magadh Range) Arvind Pandey told sources from Gaya "In my supervision report, I have ordered recording of the statements of Lalu Prasad, the then DGP R R Prasad and former police superintendent of Aurangabad Sunil Kumar Kha".

"A fresh FIR has been lodged at Sone Nagar railway police station in Aurangabad district in connection with the accident and DIG(Railways) Ajay Kumar Verma has been asked to probe the case," he said.

"Pandey in his supervision report suspected the accident to be the handiwork of Maoist rebels and miscreants, having strong political backing", he said.

"Investigations had so far revealed that the Rajdhani disaster on September 9, 2002, was suspected to have been caused due to sabotage by erstwhile Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) which later merged with the People's War before a newoutfit CPI (Maoist) came into existence,"he said.

Sanjay Yadav, a harcore MCC man, who was arrested from Khawaspur village in Aurangabad district had in his confessional statement claimed that the accident was a well-hatched conspiracy to defame Nitish Kumar, then RailwayMinister in the erstwhile NDA Government, Pandey said.

Kumar is now the Bihar chief minister.

Sanjay had also confessed about his involvement in the 'act of sabotage' over Dhava river near Rafiganj station where the disaster had taken place.

"Another MCC naxalite Vikas Yadav had also admitted his involvement in the incident," he said.