Lalu admits to lapse in baggage checking

Virtually admitting a security lapse in the Delhi-Attari special express blasts, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Monday said there was no equipment for checking what was there inside the luggage.

"Though there are metal detectors, we do not have the equipment to check what is inside the luggage. We can't deny a security lapse," he told media persons in Deewana, Haryana.

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

Lalu, who visited the site of the incident, also said that each and every luggage could not be checked as it caused inconvenience to the passengers.

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 power.

"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, Lalu said.