The Government Railway Police (GRP) will start an independent investigation in the Kanchanjungha Express-goods train collision in West Bengal's Darjeeling District on Monday, based on a complaint filed by a passenger on the ill-fated train.

It is learnt that the passenger filed a complaint stating that human error led to damage of railway property.

The complaint was filed at the GRP Station at New Jalpaiguri on Monday night against some unknown offender.

Sources said that this parallel investigation by the GRP will run side-by-side with the investigation by the office of the Commission of Railway Safety to find the reasons behind the mishap.

That investigation will be carried out under the direct supervision of the Chief Commission of Railway Safety (CCRS) of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), Janak Kumar Garg.

Although the Railway officials are tight-lipped about the exact reason behind the mishap, sources said that initial findings suggest that a combination of human error and malfunctioning signal might have resulted in the goods train overshooting the speed limit and hitting the Kanchanjungha Express from behind.

In fact, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of the Katihar Division of NFR, Surendra Kumar, who visited the accident site on Tuesday morning, indirectly admitted that some human and technical errors might be the reasons behind the mishap.

“Some technical errors related to signalling systems and human errors on part of loco-pilots and some other employees are surfacing. A detailed investigation will be carried out in the matter and finally the CCRS will take a decision in the matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaking to media persons, West Bengal Governor, CV Ananda Bose said that mishaps can happen either due to technical or human error or both.

“I am sure the truth will be revealed. Right now the situation calls for a united approach to combat the crisis. Right now the overall situation is under control,” said the Governor.