Calcutta, Aug. 17 :     A preliminary report on the train disaster at Gaisal in which 287 people were killed hints at possible sabotage by a small group of railwaymen who might have committed the crime either ?under temptation or coercion?. Chief commissioner of railway safety M. Mani?s 24 page-report says that the series of ?mistakes? by 10 North East Frontier Railway employees that led to the disaster might have been programmed. Now with the railway board chairman, the report reinforces the theory of ?sabotage? with possible involvement of railway employees. ?There could be a possibility that the assistant station master of Panjipara and others had planned for the accident to take place at Panjipara station or Panjipara-Kishengunj section instead of at Gaisal,? the report says. ?It is beyond any plausible reason as to how on a double line section a head-on collision could take place?? the report questions and lists a series of glaring mistakes. Two hundred and eighty-six passengers were killed following the head-on collision between the 4055 Dn Delhi-bound Brahmaputra Mail and Guwahati-bound 5610 Up Awadh-Assam Express. The dead also included the drivers and assistant drivers of both the trains. The inquiry has pinned down eight railway staff who are still alive and had bungled on the night of the disaster. It also hints that the role of the driver and assistant driver of the Awadh Assam Express, who both died in the accident, is also shrouded in mystery. In his report, the chief commissioner of railway safety has observed that even if one accepts that the Awadh-Assam Express entered the wrong line after leaving Kishengunj, there was ample time for Panjipara to correct the mistake and divert it from the down main line to the Up. Mani held Kishengunj east cabin assistant station master (ASM) a prime suspect in view of his earlier track record. He did not elaborate his antecedents. The regular ASM, who was on night duty, had exchanged his place with the cabin ASM involved in the accident. This changeover was done without the knowledge of the supervising station master. Irresponsible behaviour According to the report, ?the highly irresponsible behaviour of (the) ASM Panjipara is beyond explanation? as he was neither worried nor perturbed even after realising that the Awadh-Assam Express was running on the down line. The Awadh Assam Express had even stopped at Panjipara for over ten minutes before proceeding again on the wrong track after getting the ?paper line clearance? to proceed on the down main line from the cabin. This happened despite the Panjipara ASM?s knowledge that the down Brahmaputra Mail was coming. The ASM had given the line clear signal to the Brahmaputra Mail and yet allowed the Awadh-Assam Express to change track to the wrong line. The guard of the Awadh-Assam Express told the commission that there were two caution orders after the train left Panjipara, but the driver, after observing 30 the kmph speed restriction at one spot, raced to 90. Mani observed that the fault of the driver appeared to be that he had not followed the speed restriction. Alternatively, he could also be part of a conspiracy. The driver?s bio-data, however, revealed a good track record.