Vizianagaram train mishap case: AP govt miffed with Centre over NIA probe

Hyderabad: The AP Government is upset with the ministry of home affairs for not seeking its consent before issuing orders to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), to take over the Vizianagaram train mishap case. The case is open with the Crime Investigation Department, and has not yet been handed over to the NIA.

As per the NIA Act, the Centre has the power to hand over cases involving terror or national interest to the agency. However, the practice so far has been to obtain the state’s consent as well. A senior official of the AP Government said, “In CBI cases, the state has to request the agency to take over a case, or the High Court or Supreme Court may issue an order to the effect. In the Dilsukhnagar blast case, the state wrote to the NIA, and then the case was handed over to them. In the Vizianagaram case, we learnt that the MHA had issued orders, but we had not been consulted on the matter.”