"வீடியோ கேம்' மோகத்தால் பெற்ற குழந்தைகளை பட்டினி போட்ட தாய்

லண்டன் : பிரிட்டனைச் சேர்ந்த ஒரு பெண், "வீடியோ கேம்' மீது கொண்ட வெறித் தனமான ஆர்வத்தால், தன் குழந்தைகளை பட்டினியால் பரிதவிக்க விட்டதுடன், செல்லமாக வளர்த்த இரண்டு நாய்களையும் பட்டினியில் போட்டு சாகடித்துள்ளார்.

பிரிட்டனைச் சேர்ந்தவர் கிளாடியா என்ற பெண்(பெயர் மாற்றப்பட்டுள்ளது). இவருக்கு 33 வயதாகிறது. 9, 10 மற்றும் 13 வயதுகளில் மூன்று குழந்தைகள் உள்ளனர். இவர், செல்லமாக இரண்டு நாய்களையும் வளர்த்து வந்தார். இவரின் கணவர் இறந்து விட்டார். கடந்த சில மாதங்களாகவே, "வீடியோ கேம்' விளையாடுவதில் ஆர்வம் காட்டினார், கிளாடியா. குறிப்பாக, "ஸ்மாலர் வேர்ல்டு' என அழைக்கப்படும், "வீடியோ கேம்' மீது, இவருக்கு அதிக ஆர்வம் ஏற்பட்டது. துவக்கத்தில் சில மணி நேரங்களை இதற்காக செலவிட்ட கிளாடியா, அடுத்த சில மாதங்களில், விளையாட்டிலேயே மூழ்கி விட்டார். நேரம் காலம் தெரியாமல், அந்த விளையாட்டிலேயே தொடர்ந்து ஈடுபட்டார். ஒரு நாளைக்கு இரண்டு மணி நேரம் கூட தூங்குவது இல்லை. அந்த அளவுக்கு, "வீடியோகேம்' அவரை அடிமைப்படுத்தி விட்டது. இதனால், இவர் குழந்தைகள் சாப்பிட உணவில்லாமல் அவதிப்பட்டனர்.

குழந்தைகள் பசியால் துடித்தால், கடைகளில் விற்கும் குளிர்பானங்களை வாங்கி கொடுத்து விடுவார். மேலும், "பேக்' செய்யப்பட்ட உணவு வகைகளையும், அவ்வப்போது வாங்கி கொடுப்பார். சூடான உணவை சாப்பிடுவதற்காக அந்த குழந்தைகள் ஏங்கின. தொடர்ந்து ஒரே மாதிரியான ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளையே சாப்பிட்டதால், குழந்தைகளுக்கு சலிப்பு வந்து விட்டது. இதனால், சில நாட்கள் சாப்பிடாமலேயே பசியால் அவதிப்பட்டனர். குழந்தைகள் நிலைமை இப்படி என்றால், அவர் வளர்த்த செல்ல நாய்களின் நிலைமை மிகவும் மோசம். "வீடியோ கேம்' மோகத்தில், நாய்களை கவனிப்பதையே கிளாடியா மறந்து விட்டார். இதனால், நாய்கள் பசியால் துடித்து, இறந்து விட்டன. ஆறு மாதங்களாக, அந்த இரண்டு நாய்களின் உடல்களும் வீட்டுக்குள்ளேயே கிடந்தன. அவற்றை வெளியில் தூக்கிப் போட வேண்டும் என்ற எண்ணம் கூட இல்லாமல், தொடர்ந்து, "வீடியோ கேம்' விளையாடினார்.

இறந்துபோன நாய்களின் உடல்கள் அழுகி, துர்நாற்றம் அடித்தன. இது குறித்து தகவல் தெரிந்த பக்கத்து வீட்டுக்காரர், போலீசாருக்கு தகவல் கொடுத்தார். கிளாடியா வீட்டுச் சூழலை பார்த்து, போலீசார் அதிர்ச்சி அடைந்தனர். சாப்பாட்டு அறையிலேயே, இரண்டு நாய்களின் உடல்களும் அழுகிய நிலையில் கிடந்தன. வீணாகிப் போன உணவுப் பொருட்களும், குப்பை கூளங்களும் வீடு முழுவதும் நிறைந்து கிடந்தன. இது குறித்து கிளாடியாவுக்கு எதிராக பிரிட்டன் கோர்ட்டில் வழக்கு தொடரப்பட்டது. வழக்கை விசாரித்த கோர்ட், "இனிமேல் கிளாடியா, "வீடியோ கேம்' விளையாடக் கூடாது. செல்லப் பிராணிகளையும் வளர்க்க, அவருக்கு தடை விதிக்கப்படுகிறது. அவருடைய அஜாக்கிரதை காரணமாக இரண்டு நாய்கள் இறந்துள்ளதோடு, அவரின் குழந்தைகளும் பசியால் வாடியுள்ளன. எனவே, 75 மணி நேரம், அவர் வீட்டு வேலைகளைச் செய்ய வேண்டும். இதற்காக, அவருக்கு பணம் எதுவும் கொடுக்கப்பட மாட்டாது' என, தீர்ப்பளித்தது.

South Korea to send rice, other aid to flood-hit North Korea

South Korea announced plans on Monday to send 5,000 tonnes of rice and other aid to flood—stricken North Korea in a sign of easing tension between the divided countries.

The aid would mark South Korea’s first major aid shipment to North Korea since March’s deadly sinking of a South Korean warship, which killed 46 sailors and was blamed on Pyongyang. The incident spiked tensions, but the two Koreas have exchanged conciliatory gestures in recent weeks.

A senior U.S. envoy, meanwhile, expressed optimism on Monday that the impasse in negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme could be resolved soon.

North Korea pulled out of the disarmament talks last year to protest international criticism of its long—range rocket launch. Prospects for restarting the talks were further undermined following the warship sinking.

“And I’m optimistic that at some point in the not—too—distant future we can be back engaged,” American envoy Stephen Bosworth said during a meeting with South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Shin Kak—soo.

Mr. Bosworth was in South Korea as part of an Asian tour aimed at discussing the deadlocked negotiations on ending North Korea’s nuclear programme in return for aid.

South Korea is planning to send 10 billion won ($8.5 million) in relief assistance to help the North recover from heavy flooding that swamped farmland, houses and public buildings in its northwest last month, the South’s Red Cross chief Yoo Chong—ha told reporters. The aid would be financed by the South Korean government.

The impoverished North has relied on outside food aid to feed much of its 24 million people since the mid—1990s, and experts fear the latest flooding worsened the North’s chronic food shortage.

An estimated 80,000—90,000 people were affected by the flooding and the 5,000 tonnes of rice can feed about 100,000 people for 100 days, Mr. Yoo said. The aid was expected to be delivered within a month, he said.

Mr. Yoo also offered to hold working—level talks with officials from the North on Friday at the North Korean border village of Kaesong to discuss a resumption in a programme to hold reunions for families separated by the 1950—53 Korean War. The North had proposed such talks over the weekend.

More than 20,800 separated families have been briefly reunited through face—to—face meetings or by video following a landmark inter—Korean summit in 2000. However, the programme stalled a year ago as ties between the countries deteriorated.

The reunion programme is highly emotional for Koreans, as most applying are elderly and eager to see loved ones before they die. “As you know, the issue of separated families is an urgent matter because they are old,” Mr. Yoo said.

In other conciliatory gestures towards Seoul and Washington, the North has already freed a seven—crew of a South Korean fishing boat and an imprisoned American during a visit by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Earlier on Monday, the Defence Ministry released a nearly 300—page document containing full details of a South Korea—led investigation into the March warship sinking, which concluded a North Korean submarine fired a torpedo that sank the ship off the west coast.

North Korea flatly denies attacking the vessel and has warned any punishment would trigger war.

Five CPI (M) supporters shot dead by Maoists

Five Communist Party of India (Marxist) supporters were shot dead by Maoists at Nachupatina village in West Midnapore district, police said today.

A large group of Maoists descended on Nachupatina village’s Dompara area late last night and exploded bombs before firing in the air to terrorise the villagers, they said.

One group went to the house of CPI(M) supporter Amrit Aagyuan and broke open the door and forcibly took him way.

Amrit’s mother was injured when she tried to stop the Maoists, they said.

Another group of Maoists went to the house of Rohin Aagyun, Samaresh Aagyuan, Swapan Aagyuan and Prasanta Aagyuan, all belonging to one family, and forcibly took them outside.

The Maoists first beat the five persons and then shot dead and left behind some Maoist posters, they said.

CPI (M) party sources said that the five persons were supporters of the Marxist party.

Nachupatina village is located on the banks of the river Subarnarekha and close to the Orissa border.

Joint Security Forces and additional police reinforcements are being rushed to the village, they said, adding a massive manhunt has been launched to nab the Maoists.

China summons Japanese ambassador again over boat

BEIJING – China's top foreign policy official increased pressure on Japan on Sunday by summoning its ambassador to again demand the immediate release of Chinese fishermen and their boat detained near disputed islands.

State Councilor Dai Bingguo called in Ambassador Uichiro Niwa early Sunday, China's Foreign Ministry said. It was the fourth time that Niwa has been summoned over the incident, and it was highly unusual for an official of Dai's rank to intercede.

The fishing boat collided with Japanese patrol vessels last week after ignoring warnings to leave the area and refusing to stop for an inspection, Japan's coast guard said.

China has said the confrontation could damage its relations with Japan, underlining the sensitivity of the territorial dispute in the East China Sea, one of several that trouble China's ties with its Asian neighbors.

Beijing is worried about losing face in front of the Chinese public and triggering a nationalistic backlash against the government if it appears unable to protect the country's sovereignty. The spat has stirred passions in China, with newspapers and activists calling for a tough stand against any threats to China's territorial claims.

Tuesday's incident happened off Japan's Kuba island, just north of the disputed islands, about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of Taiwan. The islands are controlled by Japan but are also claimed by China and Taiwan.

Dai urged Japan to find a "wise political resolution" and release the crew and boat immediately, the ministry said in a statement. Niwa replied that he would report China's position to Tokyo, it said.

Also Sunday, Japanese coast guard officials took the fishing boat and its crew out to sea off the southern island of Okinawa to test the boat's capabilities. A Japanese ship closely trailed the fishing boat as it maneuvered in the ocean with coast guard members on board.

Officials also found fish on the boat and were investigating whether they were caught illegally in waters that Japan considers its territory, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

China's Foreign Ministry said it firmly opposed any form of investigation by Japanese authorities into the fishing boat.

"Japan's so-called gathering of evidence is illegal, invalid and futile," ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement. "China urges Japan to stop actions that escalate the situation and immediately and unconditionally release the crew and ship, this is the only way to solve the problem."

A group of about 20 Chinese activists, meanwhile, planned to sail Sunday from the eastern coastal city of Xiamen to waters near the disputed islands — known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.

They plan to unfurl banners proclaiming Chinese sovereignty over the territory and protest "Japanese aggression," said organizer Li Yiqiang. If the trip goes as planned, they are expected to arrive Tuesday, he said by phone.

China announced on Friday that it was postponing talks scheduled earlier with Japan on the East China Seaissue in a sign of its anger. The talks would have been the second governmental meeting over the territorial disputes in that area.

A Japanese court has allowed prosecutors to keep the boat captain in custody until Sept. 19 before deciding whether to press charges. Japanese authorities say the other 14 crew members have remained on the fishing boat and cannot land in Japan because they do not have passports but are free to return home if China sends a vessel to pick them up.

Iranian prosecutor ready to release American woman

A senior Iranian prosecutor said Sunday that authorities will release a jailed American woman on $500,000 bail because of health problems, another sudden about-face by Iran in a case that has added to tension with the United States.

The news came during a weekend of start-and-stop announcements about the release of Sarah Shourd, who was detained with two friends, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, along the Iran-Iraq border on July 31, 2009, and accused of spying.

There were no details on when she would be released. Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said the conditions of her bail did not bar her from leaving the country, though her case will still go to trial along with those of the other two Americans, who must remain in custody.

"Based on reports and the approval of the relevant judge about the sickness of Ms. Shourd, her detention was converted to $500,000 bail, and if the bail is deposited, she can be released," the official IRNAnews agency quoted Dowlatabadi as saying.

Shourd's mother has said she has been denied treatment for serious health problems, including a breast lump and precancerous cervical cells.

The prosecutor said the decision has been relayed to her lawyer. Reached by telephone, her lawyer, Masoud Shafiei, refused to make any immediate comment.

Shourd, who has been held in solitary confinement, was to have been released Saturday as an act of clemency to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan after the intervention of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But the judiciary abruptly halted that planned release, indicating such a decision would have to first go through the courts.

Iran has accused the three Americans of illegally crossing the border and spying in a case that has deepened tensions with Washington — which has led the push for tougher sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

Their families say the Americans were hiking in Iraq's scenic north and that if they crossed the border, they did so unwittingly.

The prosecutor said the two other Americans would remain in custody. The prosecution's case against the three is nearly complete and a judge has issued indictments for all three on charges of spying, he said.

"The suspects did not confess but we have enough reasons in hand for their spying charges," Dowlatabadi said.

He rejected any link between the decision to grant Shourd bail and the return to Iran in July of nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri. Iran had accused the U.S. of abducting Amiri, while Washington said he was a willing defector who later changed his mind.

In the past, Ahmadinejad has suggested the three Americans could be traded for Iranians claimed to be held by the U.S.

The judiciary appeared to be using the issue of Shourd's release to flex its muscles in an internal political tussle with President Ahmadinejad. On Friday, the Foreign Ministry had announced that plans for her release on Saturday were the result of Ahmadinejad's personal intervention and reflected the "special viewpoint of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the dignity of women."

Hours later, judiciary officials said the release was off — an embarrassing rebuke to Ahmadinejad. On Saturday, Dowlatabadi emphasized that any announcement about the American's release "would only come through the judiciary system."

The mixed signals point to one of the main fissures in Iran's conservative leadership: Ahmadinejad and his allies against conservative rivals in the powerful judiciary overseen by Iran's supreme leader.

In the past year, Iranian authorities have allowed bail or converted jail sentences to fines for two other high-profile detainees.

In May, French academic Clotilde Reiss was freed after her 10-year sentence on espionage-related charges was commuted to a fine equivalent to $300,000.

Canadian-Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari of Newsweek was freed on $300,000 bail in October 2009 after nearly four months detention following the crackdown after the country's disputed presidential election. He was later sentenced in absentia to more than 13 years in prison and 50 lashes.

Iran has also used the case of the three Americans for propaganda purposes.

In May, Iran allowed the mothers of the three detainees to visit them in Iran, releasing them temporarily from Tehran's Evin prison for an emotional reunion at a hotel that received extensive coverage on the government's main English-language broadcast arm.

Syria pushes for Iraq government

Iraq's two political heavyweights, the former Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, and Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have met in Damascus, following active mediation by Syria for the formation of a new Iraqi government.

An AFP photographer reported the two had met in Damascus. Turkey also appears to be intervening to resolve the deadlock in Iraq's government formation, with its Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arriving in the Syrian capital on Monday. Iraq is a neighbour of Syria and Turkey.

The meeting between Mr. Allawi and Mr. Sadr took place amid spiralling violence in Iraq, which some analysts attribute to the lack of a functional government in Baghdad. On Sunday, a suicide bomber in Baghdad killed at least 43 people, mostly belonging to the anti-Al-Qaeda Awakening Councils.

Prior to their talks, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had separate discussion with both the Iraqi leaders.

On Saturday, after talks with Mr. Sadr, who had arrived from self-imposed exile in Iran, Mr. Assad said a new Cabinet should be formed in Iraq “as soon as possible”. On Monday, Mr. Allawi met the Syrian President, who identified Iraq's national sovereignty, unity and Arab identity as the basis for “any inter-Iraqi accord”, Syria's official news agency SANA reported.

Following Iraq's March 7 elections, Mr. Sadr's anti-U.S. bloc got 39 seats against 91 for Mr. Allawi and 89 for incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in the 325-member Parliament.

Prime Minister post

Apart from Iraq's sectarian and ethnic fault-lines, the choice of a prime ministerial candidate has emerged as a major stumbling block on the road to the formation of a new government.

Analysts say at least two possible scenarios are being discussed by the various political formations that are in the fray to form the next government. First, the Shia Iraqi National Alliance (INA) in combination with State of Law (SLA), also a Shia formation, is deliberating on a new government but without Mr. Maliki, who belongs to SLA, as the next Prime Minister. Second, the SLA is reportedly in discussions with Mr. Allawi's Iraqiyaa list, but has only offered it the post of parliamentary Speaker. Conversely, the Iraqiyaa is rejecting Mr. Maliki as the Prime Minister but is willing to consider him as Iraq's next presidential candidate.

Maoists' second option is CPN (UML)

The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has said it will support the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) if it cannot lead a new government.

Maoist vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha said the party had decided to back CPN (UML) chairman Jhalanath Khanal in the prime ministerial election if there could be no Maoist-led government. The decision to support Mr. Khanal comes two days after the Nepali Congress announced its prime ministerial candidate.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda' would rather support Mr. Khanal than announce Maoist vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai as the prime ministerial candidate. Some Maoist leaders favour Mr. Bhattarai as the next Prime Minister. Though Mr. Khanal's name is increasingly heard as the CPN (UML)'s candidate, the party is yet to officially announce its candidate. It is learnt that some voices within the party are against forming a CPN (UML)-led government as senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has just resigned as Prime Minister.

Political parties represented in the Constituent Assembly have to nominate their candidates on Tuesday for the election on Wednesday. President Ram Baran Yadav had earlier asked the parties to form a consensus government but it could not happen owing to differences among the major political parties on the management of the Maoists' army.

The conservative Tea Party movement in the United States is facing the classic dilemma of an early bloomer. Undergoing an explosive growth phase short

Anti-HIV drugs reached 1.2 million more people last year, the U.N. announced on Monday at the world AIDS forum, as the former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, defended Barack Obama's funding to fight the disease.

The increase meant that 5.2 million people had access to drugs to repress HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, said the U.N.'s World Health Organisation as thousands of delegates met at the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna.

“This is the largest increase in people accessing treatment in a single year. It is an extremely encouraging development,” said WHO's assistant Director-General Hiroki Nakatani.

Since 2003 the number of people on anti-HIV drugs has risen 12-fold, said the U.N. health agency.

But experts say despite the surge, only roughly half of the world's poor, badly infected people have access to the drugs.

The six-day conference of scientists, policymakers and grassroots workers opened on Sunday in Vienna to rowdy protests from activists accusing Mr. Obama of reneging on a campaign pledge to spend some $50 billion on AIDS by 2013. Some of several hundred protestors chanted “Obama lies — people die,” as data pointed to a slump in AIDS funding.

In a keynote speech on Monday, Mr. Clinton defended Mr. Obama, laying the blame for financial belt-tightening at the door of the U.S. Congress. “You have two options here, you can demonstrate and call the President names or we can go get some more votes in Congress to get some more money,” said Mr. Clinton. “There is no way the White House will veto an increase in funding for AIDS.”

At Sunday's opening ceremonies, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned in a video message that the “significant progress” in the 29-year war on AIDS could be reversed if countries retreated in their funding efforts.

Veteran campaigners also demanded political leaders fund AIDS with the same speed and generosity as they refloated the banking sector in 2008 and shored up the Greek economy earlier this year.

From 2002 to 2008 donations from rich economies for poor countries rose from $1.2 billion to $7.7 billion, but fell back last year to $7.6 billion, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS. — AFP

The Tea Party's bitter brew

The conservative Tea Party movement in the United States is facing the classic dilemma of an early bloomer. Undergoing an explosive growth phase shortly after it surprised mainstream political America with its arrival in 2009, the party now appears to be stumbling, perhaps against its own better judgment, down the path of chaotic radicalism.

While insiders have known of divisions within the party for a while, the froth spilled over into the public domain this weekend when the Tea Party expelled one of its key leaders, Mark Williams, and the sub-group that he led within the party called the Tea Party Express, for a writing a satirical letter purportedly from “the Coloured People” to President Abraham Lincoln praising slavery.

The party's spokesman, David Webb, said: “We have expelled Tea Party Express and Mark Williams from the National Tea Party Federation because of the letter that he wrote”.

His letter was said to be a response to earlier events, when the Tea Party found itself blinking in the spotlight after the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) passed a resolution labelling the party racist.

Some argue that at the heart of the party's problems is the lack of coherent leadership. Though it succeeded in “adopting” the former Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, who sprang to the party's defence after the NAACP resolution, and made inroads into some of the primary elections this year, many in the mainstream regard that move to have edged the party even closer to the fringes of the political spectrum.

Methane, seepage at well site

Leaking methane and a seep near the well of the damaged Deepwater Horizon rig will not come in the way of continued testing of the capping stack installed by BP last week, according to Admiral Thad Allen, National Incident Commander in charge of the response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

In a statement Admiral Allen said, “Yesterday I sent BP a letter stating that there were a number of unanswered questions about the monitoring systems they committed to as a condition of the United States government extending the well integrity test.” He added that over the weekend a conference call between the federal science team and BP representatives was convened to discuss the “detection of a seep near the well and the possible observation of methane over the well”.

Noting that the federal science team had received the answers they were seeking and BP reiterated its commitment to monitoring and notification obligations, Admiral Allen said, “I authorised BP to continue the integrity test for another 24 hours and I restated our firm position that this test will only continue if they continue to meet their obligations to rigorously monitor for any signs that this test could worsen the overall situation.”

Seeking to allay fears that the testing period could force oil to seep into the rock surrounding the well, the Admiral said the federal science team had the ability to return to the safe containment of the oil “at any moment” on the surface.

He noted that the team would continue closely monitoring the BP well until such time as the relief wells were completed and the main well was permanently killed.

According to reports, the initial closing of the containment cap's valves was supposed to last 48 hours as a test to determine if the well was leaking elsewhere. However it has lasted four days.

In yet another sternly-worded letter sent on Sunday to Robert Dudley, Chief Managing Director of BP, Admiral Allen said, “Given the current observations from the test, including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance during the test period.”

He added that as a continued condition of the test, BP was required to provide as a top priority access and coordination for the monitoring systems.

Railway Board chairman does not rule out sabotage

Pointing out anomalies in the events leading up to the train collision at Sainthia in West Bengal's Birbhum district that claimed at least 67 lives, Railway Board Chairman Vivek Sahay on Monday did not rule out the possibility of sabotage and hinted at “wilful interference.”

Mr. Sahay described the circumstances of the accident as “out of normal” and emphasised that the “brakes were not touched.”

“According to prima facie reports, we know that the brakes were not applied. The emergency brake was also not applied. Both the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot were sitting in their chairs; no effort has been made to jump out of the train,” Mr. Sahay told journalists here after visiting the accident site with senior Board officials.

The accident must have occurred just after 2.01 a.m. when the Uttarbanga Express rammed the Vananchal Express from behind at a speed of 90 km per hour, he said.

At a distance of 1.8 km from the Sainthia station, there was a bridge on which there was a speed restriction of 30 km per hour.

Also, since Sainthia was a scheduled stop of the Uttarbanga Express, the train should have been approaching the station at a speed of 30 or 40 km per hour, Mr. Sahay said.

Secondly, the driver of the Uttarbanga Express and his assistant also ignored the home signal that had asked the train to stop. Even if the driver had ignored it, the assistant driver could have applied the emergency brakes, which he did not do, Mr. Sahay said.

“Why was the train travelling so fast? What went wrong,” asked Mr. Sahay, adding this would be “the focus of investigations.”

Mr. Sahay also ruled out the possibility that the brakes might have failed because the Uttarbanga Express had stopped at the previous station at Gadadhar minutes before the accident. It had arrived at Gadadhar at 1.54 a.m. and departed at 1.56 a.m., entering Sainthia at 2:01 a.m.

“The driver, M.C. Dey, was an ‘A' category driver — a category given to the best drivers for safety. His safety record had been exceptionally good,” Mr. Sahay said.

The guard had been traumatised after the accident and could not be interrogated so far, Mr. Sahay said.

On being asked about the frequency of train accidents with several incidents occurring in the past few months, Mr. Sahay claimed that in fact the average accident rate had declined, but several incidents on mail and express trains had occurred leading to higher causalities.

“Many of them have been found to have been caused by wilful interference. There have been five cases of accidents by wilful interference since January this year … Up to now, no Railway employee has been found to be involved,” he said.