The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday conducted a series of meetings with the goal of addressing safety loopholes in response to the tragic Balasore train accident. Concurrently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case to investigate the alleged criminal negligence that resulted in the loss of 288 lives and injuries to nearly one thousand passengers.
The Railways asserted that the incident was a “criminal act” involving modifications to the interlocking system. However, railway officials stated that the system was “ninety-nine per cent tamper-proof and fail-proof,” failing to provide a clear explanation for the tragedy. Simultaneously, political tensions escalated over the accident, with both the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) criticising the Modi Government.
While the Congress questioned the timing of announcement of a CBI probe into the accident before the mandatory investigation by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) was conducted, Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the TMC and Chief Minister of West Bengal, echoed the same sentiment.
Mamata, who previously served as the Railway Minister, questioned the relevance of a CBI probe, insisting that the CRS should handle the probe.
The technical aspects of the accident are being investigated by the CRS. The collision involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train occurred around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who returned to Delhi from Balasore, Odisha after assessing the rescue and restoration efforts following the triple train accident, conducted a series of high-level virtual meetings with officials. He held separate meetings with senior officials of the Railway Board, followed by the general managers (GMs), and then the divisional railway managers of various zones.
Official sources revealed that Vaishnaw instructed officials to develop plans to make the railway network completely tamper-proof against external interference. The Railway Board issued instructions to all GMs to ensure that protocols regarding signaling systems are made tamper-proof.
The Ministry also directed zonal railways and its undertakings to conduct a week-long safety drive, with a specific focus on locking, interlocking, and signaling arrangements. A report must be submitted by June 14 without fail.
Sources indicate that an initial probe into the incident has revealed not just a “signaling interference”, but also likely human negligence whereby the door of the relay room where the signaling system is installed, had been kept open.
A team of CBI officials, along with forensic experts, which had reached Balasore district on Monday, started the probe immediately after the registration of the FIR at 2.15 pm on Tuesday, officials said.
The CBI FIR follows a Preliminary Enquiry by the Ministry of Railways that flagged tampering with the electronic interlocking system, which detects the presence of trains, and officials suspected “sabotage” behind the Friday accident, they said. .
“The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case on the request of the Ministry of Railways, consent of the Odisha Government and further orders from DoPT (Union Govt) relating to the train accident involving Coromandel Express, Yashwantpur-Howrah Express and a goods train at Bahanaga Bazar in the state of Odisha on 2nd June,” the CBI said in a statement.
“The CBI has taken over the investigation of the case earlier registered at Balasore GRPS, District Cuttack (Odisha) vide GRPS Case No.64 dated 03.06.2023 regarding the said accident. A CBI team has reached Balasore (Odisha). Investigation is continuing, it further said.
Many deaths were due to injuries caused due to the collision and electrocution after coming in contact with overhead low tension line, reads the FIR. The overhead wires snapped as coaches that toppled over in the triple train accident brought down electrical poles, officials said.
Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition in Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari wondered why the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was so concerned about the CBI investigation. He stated his intention to request that the central agency also investigate the post-accident telephone conversation between two senior railway officers, which was released by TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh. Adhikari alleged that this was a clear case of telephone tapping by Mamata Banerjee’s police.
Accompanied by two of her cabinet colleagues, Mamata Banerjee visited various hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack on Tuesday afternoon to meet with the injured. During her visit, she once again raised doubts about the efficacy of the CBI investigation into the train accident, suggesting that the Commissioner of Railway Safety was better equipped to handle the task from a technical standpoint.
Banerjee, who rescheduled her planned visit to Darjeeling to travel to Odisha on Tuesday, stated that regardless of who conducts the investigation, the truth must come to light. She emphasized the need for transparency and stated, “At this point, I don’t want to say anything other than the fact that the truth must be revealed, considering the high number of casualties. The truth must prevail and not be suppressed.”
Interestingly, her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, had previously claimed that the CBI investigation was ordered to conceal the failures of the BJP government and divert attention away from the real issues for political gain.
Regarding the death toll, Banerjee stated that it was crucial to focus on helping the victims rather than engaging in arguments. She said, “This is not the time for arguments. Many people have lost their lives... let us work for the people. Let us stand by the people.” She added that 31 passengers from Bengal who were traveling on the ill-fated Coromandel Express and Humsafar Express were still missing. The latest reports, citing the Chief Secretary of Odisha, put the death toll at 288, with approximately 1,100 injured.
Responding strongly to Banerjee’s remarks about the CBI investigation, Suvendu Adhikari stated that the investigation would uncover many details, including whether the TMC had any involvement in a suspected act of sabotage. He questioned why a senior TMC leader had released recorded conversations between the two senior railway officials discussing possible causes of the accident.
“This indicates that Mamata Banerjee’s police have been wiretapping conversations of central government employees... We need to determine why they were doing so... I will personally write an application to the CBI officials, requesting an investigation into the audio recordings, including how Kunal Ghosh obtained them and whether the TMC had any involvement in the matter.”