West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday distributed ex gratia to the kin of Odisha train accident victims. During the event held at the Kolkata Netaji Indoor Stadium, Ms. Banerjee accused the Union government of suppressing facts.
“It is the biggest (railway) accident in this century, yet efforts are being made to suppress facts. We want to know why and how this incident took place,” she said. Since the triple train tragedy on June 2, the Trinamool Congress chairperson has targeted the Union government on issues like the absence of anti-collision devices, the figures of casualties varying and also the investigation by the CBI in the railway mishap.
“As per the latest figures, there are a total of 103 passengers from Bengal, who have lost their lives in the tragic incident. We have, so far, received 86 dead bodies; the remaining are yet to be identified. From this platform today, we have provided a compensation amount of ₹5,00,000 to the families of the 86 people who lost their lives,” she said.
