The CBI team, as a result, could not move to the accident spot in West Midnapore for its investigation. “Our team has reached the city. But we are waiting for the state government’s notification which is mandatory for officially handing over the investigation to us,” said a CBI officer.

Sources at the state home department said the state government, a few days ago, had made up its mind to hand over the probe to the CBI when the state CID informed it that it had arrested a key suspect who had helped in the sabotage. The home department then delayed the process of issuing the notification in order to secure CID custody for the suspect, a senior police officer said.

Meanwhile, the CBI team in the city is at loss over how to begin since the evidence related to the case is with the CID and the state police.

“Where should we move now? All the files of the case and the evidence are with the state government. We have to wait for the official notification,” a CBI official said.

DGP Bhupinder Singh, however said, “It has been decided that the CID will hand over the case to the CBI. But we do not know when the notification will be issued. Until the case is officially transferred to the CBI, the CID will continue to investigate.”