Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari on June 5 alleged that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was behind the Odisha train accident in which at least 275 people were killed. The triple-train accident involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and the goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district on June 2.
“This incident [train accident] is TMC’s conspiracy. They are behind the incident,” Adhikari alleged. “Why have they been panicking so much since yesterday when this incident is of another State? Why are they afraid of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation?”
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader referred to a purported audio clip of a conversation between two Railway officials posted by TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Twitter on June 4. He further said, “These people with the help of the police tapped the phones of both the railway officials. How did these people know the conversation between two railway officials? How the conversation got leaked. This should come in the CBI investigation. If it doesn’t come, I will go to court.”
Earlier on June 5, stepping up her attack on the Central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the Railway Board’s decision to hand the inquiry into the Odisha train accident over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), saying that “it is not the time to suppress the truth”.
“I also gave Gyaneshwari Express case to CBI but no result came. Twelve years [have passed] but we see no result. The CBI handles criminal and accident cases. The Railway Safety Commission is there,” she remarked.
At least 275 people were killed, while more than 1,000 were injured in the accident that took place near the Bahanaga Bazar area. Mamata Banerjee arrived at the accident site in Balasore on June 3 to take stock of rescue operations and questioned why the Centre’s ‘Kavach’ system was missing from the track of the collision. Ms. Banerjee who was the Union Railway Minister last in 2009-2011 during the Congress led UPA-2 regime, termed the incident the “biggest railway accident of the 21st century” and said that this would not have happened if Kavach system was present.”
“Coromandel is one of the best express trains. I was the Railway Minister thrice. From what I saw, this is the biggest railway accident of the 21st century. Such cases are handed over to Railway’s safety commission and they investigate and give a report. There was no anti-collision device on the train, as far as I know. Had the device been on the train, this would not have happened. The dead can’t be brought back but now our work is rescue operation and restoration of normalcy,” the West Bengal Chief Minister said while addressing the reporters in Balasore in the presence of the Union Railway minister on June 3.
Kavach is an indigenous Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) developed by the Ministry of Railways. After Mamata Banerjee questioned the Railways over the absence of 'Kavach' system, citing it as the reason behind the Balasore triple train tragedy, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on said on June 3 that the accident has nothing to do with anti-collision system. Mr. Vaishnaw while speaking to Asian News International (ANI) said that the accident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking."It has nothing to do with Kavach. The reason is not what Mamata Banerjee said yesterday. This incident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking," the Railway Minister told ANI. "This is an entirely different issue, it involves point machine, electronic interlocking. The change that occurred during electronic interlocking happened due to it. Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after a proper investigation," he added.
