The investigation into the tragic three-train accident on Friday evening in Balasore, Odisha was taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday.
A team of CBI officials reached the accident site on Tuesday morning and took over the probe from Odisha police.
India’s premier probe agency stepped in as officials have stated that only a detailed investigation by the top agency can establish criminal tampering, if there was any, with the point machine or the electronic interlocking system, or if the train changed tracks due to reconfiguration or a signalling error.
Earlier, the Odisha police filed a case with charges of “causing death by negligence and endangering life” related to the incident.
According to media reports, railway officials indicated that the cause of the crash involving the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, and a goods train was because of possible “sabotage” and tampering with the interlocking system, which detects the presence of trains.
After the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and reviewed the rescue operation and restoration work.
While talking to the media, he said those found guilty would be strictly punished.
In the crash, one of the deadliest in India's history, involving three trains - the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express, and a goods train - more than 270 people were killed, while more than 1,100 were injured.
The collision happened after the Coromandel Express derailed and hit the freight train, which did not derail due to the heavy iron ore on board of it. The second passenger train was crossing on the other side at the time, its last carriages were hit by the Coromandel Express and pushed off the track.