No alcohol trace in test on train drivers

A breathalyser test on the driver and assistant driver of the ill-fated Uttarbanga Express did not show any trace of alcohol but police said this is not enough to determine whether they were intoxicated or not.

"A breathalyser test on driver M C Dey and assistant driver Nirmal Mondal did not show any trace of alcohol, but that does not indicate that they did or did not consume alcohol," a top police official of Birbhum district said.

Noting that the preliminary post mortem report of Dey and Mondal would be available tomorrow, the official said it would to some extent provide a clue to the physical condition, cause and time of their death.

"To be totally sure, we will be sending the visceras to All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi for examination," the official, who did not wish to be named, said.

Asked how much time it would take to receive the viscera reports, the official said, "It will take quite a long time."

Meanwhile, a six-member CID team reached Sainthia and took over the case of the train crash from the GRP.

The CID team, including Special Superintendent Nisad Pervez, a DSP, two SIs and an inspector, is led by Special IG Pankaj Dutta.

The team held a closed door meeting with Additional SP of Birbhum Farhad Abbas and OC of Sainthia GRP Suresh Bhaumik.

The team visited Gadadharpur station, the one before Sainthia, talked to the station master there and inquired about the records besides inspecting the tracks. The team later returned to Sainthia.