"Prima facie, it appears to be a case of sabotage. There was a blast on the track, which could have caused the derailment," Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar told PTI.
"Another goods train, 60 kms away from the station, also got derailed due to a blast. 18 wagons got derailed in the accident," Kumar said.
The Maoists have given bandh call to protest security forces' "strong armed" action against "innocent people" in the area on suspicion of being Maoists sympathiser.
Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda has announce ex-gratia of rupees 2 lakh for the family of each of the deceased, rupees one lakh for the grievously injured passengers and 20 thousand rupees for those with minor injuries.
Passengers of the ill-fated train have been shifted to the nearby station to leave for their further destination.