Patna, (Bihar Times): Though protecting train
passengers from terror attacks is the joint
responsibility of the Union home minister, railways
and the state government the Janata Dal (United) has
decided to train its gun on the railway minister, Lalu
Prasad, for failing to ensure safety and security
during his tenure as the railway minister.
In all 321 passengers had lost their lives and over
hundred injured in five major explosions on trains
that took place during Lalu’s tenure. The latest such
explosions took place in Rajdhani Express in Guwahati
on the wee hours of Thursday. ULFA is blamed for this
latest incident.
While Lalu leaves no stone unturned to blame his
predecessor, Nitish Kumar, now chief minister of
Bihar, for so many accidents during his
term––including the one which took place with Rajdhani
near Rafiganj on September 9, 2002 the Janata Dal (U)
has turned its heat on him by releasing the list of
explosions which occurred after May 21, 2004, that is
after the coming to power of the UPA at Centre.
The Janata Dal (United) national spokesman, Shivanand
Tiwary, till recently a good pal of the railway
minister, released the list of major explosions which
took place in the last three and a half years.
According to him the terror attack on Delhi-Attari
Samjhuta Express on February 18, 2007, killed at least
67 people and injured many more. This was preceded by
a series of seven bomb blasts on July 11, 2006, in Mumbai trains that had killed over 200 commuters and
left hundreds injured.
A twin explosions took place near Varanasi Cant
station on March 7, 2006, which killed at least 20
people. Seven passengers lost their lives when a
powerful blast triggered by Maoist ripped through the
Ranchi-Asansol Holi Special at Gourinathdham station
under Adra division in West Bengal on March 27,2005.
An explosion in the Delhi-Patna Shramjeevi Express in
Uttar Pradesh on July 28, 2005, killed 12 people and
injured over 50.
Tiwary said that around 35 people were killed in
separate bombing incidents at the train station and
nearby market at Dimapur in Nagaland on October 2,
2004.