Manu Kumar, the injured assistant loco pilot of the container train that had rammed into the Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express on June 17, was shifted to the central hospital of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone at Maligaon in Assam on Wednesday late evening.

Since the day of the accident, Manu had been under treatment at a private nursing home in Siliguri. Anil Kumar, the loco pilot of the train, died in the accident which occurred near Rangapani railway station in Darjeeling district.

“Manu was in trauma. According to the advice of doctors, he requires psychological treatment to improve his mental state. Keeping this in view, he has been shifted to our central hospital at the zonal headquarters in Maligaon,” said Surendra Kumar, the NFR's Katihar divisional railway manager.

The accident, which claimed 10 lives, occurred in the division.

Sources in railways said Manu’s statement was important to find out the cause behind the crash. The chief commissioner of railway safety, NF circle, who is conducting the inquiry, is yet to record his statement. He has recorded the statements of around 60 persons so far.

“The assistant loco pilot is the sole survivor as the loco pilot of the goods train has died. Also, he has been named as an accused by the Government Railway Police that has filed a case at the GRP station in New Jalpaiguri,” said a source.

Chetan Kumar Srivastava, the general manager of the NFR, along with other senior officials of the railway zone, interacted with frontline safety staff and officials from all five divisions of the NFR at Maligaon on Thursday.

“During the interaction, he underscored the importance of safe train operations and provided guidance to the attendees for ensuring a safer railway system,” said a source.