VIJAYAWADA: YSRC Parliamentary Party leader and Rajya Sabha member V Vijaya Sai Reddy on Tuesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting for the release of National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation report on the railway accident near Kuneru Railway station on January 21.
In case the NIA report is not released, he urged the Prime Minister to constitute an Apex Level Committee for a thorough investigation and punish the culprits. He said on January 21, 2017 at 23:30 hours, Hirakud Express from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar derailed near Kuneru Railway Station yard, resulting in the death of 42 passengers and injuring 70.
He said as per the report, the then DRM played mischief through P Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the then Civil Aviation Minister. “Gajapathi Raju ‘managed’ the Commissioner of Railway Safety. Several lakhs of rupees were used for the purpose by the then minister through his henchmen BVV Raju and C Vinsu Murthy, the then protocol official and Sr DEN, North Waltair,” he claimed.
He further accused the then DRM of managing the CBCID through the State government at that time, which misled the NIA team. YSRC MP said tracks were tampered the day after the accident to blame naxals for the accident, but the DGP of Odisha and SP of Rayagada had categorically ruled out naxal involvement in the accident. Stating that even after four years of the accident there has been no action from the NIA, the MP urged the PM to initiate action to ensure justice is done to the victims, who largely belong to tribal communities in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.