India’s Ministry of Railways has recommended that the country’s top detective agency investigate the fatal crash that killed 275 people.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vishnu announced the decision but did not give further details.
A railway-led investigation has been initiated and preliminary reports suggest that the accident occurred due to signal failure.
The collision of three trains on Friday night has been described as India’s worst rail accident of this century.
More than 1,000 were injured and taken to hospitals. Some families are still searching for their loved ones.
It is not clear why the Railway Board, the ministry’s highest decision-making body, has recommended a separate probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) when other inquiries have already begun.
The CBI investigates high-profile criminal cases, including serious financial fraud and murder.
Mr Vishnu said on Sunday that the “root cause” of the accident and the people responsible for the “criminal act” had been identified.
He added that a “change in electronic interlocking” was the likely cause of the crash. The minister urged people to wait for the final report.
He said that the report of the Commissioner of Railway Safety will be made public soon and it will reveal the reason.
Meanwhile, the railways said on Sunday that the engine and bogies of the Coromandel Express collided with the goods train due to a signal failure and “change in electronic interlocking”.
An electronic interlocking system in railway signaling assigns routes for each train in a fixed area, which ensures safe movement of trains along the track.
The impact of the accident caused the coaches of the Coromandel Express to fall onto the third track and hit the rear bogies of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express which was speeding down the line.
It is believed that more than 3,000 passengers were on board the two passenger trains.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) chief Atul Karwal said that several bogies were crushed by the force of the collision. Rescuers had to wade through the wreckage to reach the passengers.
Hundreds of ambulances, doctors, nurses and rescue personnel were dispatched to the scene and worked for 18 hours to rescue the passengers and recover the bodies.
On Sunday night, Mr. Vishnu said that train traffic has been restored on the railway tracks where the accident took place.
According to reports, several passengers are still missing.
Opposition leaders have demanded Mr Vishnu to accept responsibility for the tragedy and resign.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has responded by saying that they should not politicize the accident.
