Lalu admits to lapse in checking of luggage

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said there was no equipment for checking what was there inside the luggage.

Virtually admitting a security lapse in the Samjhauta Express blasts, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Monday said there was no equipment for checking what was there inside the luggage.

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"Though there are metal detectors, we don't have the equipment to check what is inside the luggage. We can't deny that (security lapse)," he told reporters here when asked if there was any security lapse in the checking-in of Samjhauta Express passengers.

"Worldwide, no such equipment is available," he said.

Prasad, who visited the site of the incident around 100 km from Deewana, also said each and every luggage could not be checked as it caused inconvenience to the passengers.

"We will accept if there is any fault on the part of Railways. We don't want to cover up," he said.

The Minister said the state governments of Punjab and Haryana had a major role in ensuring the security of the train and the Railway Protection Force did not have much powers.

"It is the responsibility of the state governments to ensure the security of the train," he said.

Railway police was escorting the train till Attari, where more security checks were to take place, Prasad said.