Indianmandarins has learnt that on August 21, the government asked Railway Board Chairman A K Mital to resign. The absence of Mital the same day in Rail Bhawan lent credence to the speculation in this regard. Reportedly, the PMO had summoned two members of Railway Board including Member Railway Traffic and took stock of the rail accident which occurred last week in Muzaffarnagar. It is believed Mital sensed the trouble coming his way and in a pre-emptive move, opted for resigning on August 21 itself. But not clear as yet whether the Govt has accepted it. Power corridors are now abuzz with speculations that either Mohd Jamshed (Member, Traffic) may be asked to officiate as Chairman, Railway Board. The development amazed most of the senior officials in the Railway Board because Mital was last year re-appointed as CRB for another two years on a contract basis. Such an extraordinary and unprecedented decision could have emanated from his 'extraordinary contribution' to the Railways even though it is generally believed that his contributions could not be put in the category of persons like, for example, E Sridharan. So both his reappointment and his resignation or sacking tell their own story - beyond the understanding of common mortals.