1 killed, 7 injured as Bengaluru-Kamakhya AC Express derails in Odisha
Cuttack (PTI): One person was killed and seven others injured as an express train derailed in Odisha's Cuttack district on Sunday, officials said.
Eleven coaches of the SMVT Bengaluru-Kamakhya AC Express derailed at Nirgundi near Manguli at 11.54 am, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the East Coast Railway Ashok Kumar Mishra said.
Cuttack's District Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde, who oversaw the rescue operation, said, "One person died and seven others were injured in the accident."
He said that some passengers also fell ill after the accident because of the heatwave conditions prevailing in the area.
"They were treated at a temporary health camp set up at the accident site. Some people who received minor injuries in the accident were also given first aid, declared fit to travel. Around 15 people were given first aid at the health camp," he said.
Shinde said the seven people, whose injuries were serious, were admitted to the state-run SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCB MCH) in Cuttack.
"All of them are stable," he said.
SCB MCH's Administrative Officer Subhas Chandra Ray said, "The one person who died is a male. Among the seven injured, three are men and four women."
An officer of the Odisha Fire Service, which along with the NDRF assisted the railways following the accident, said the rescue operation has been completed.
The train was heading to Kamakhya station in Assam's Guwahati from Bengaluru.
The accident happened on the down line of the all-important Howrah-Chennai route, affecting railway services, officials said.
Efforts are being made to clear the accident site at the earliest, and the up line has already been made operational, they said.
A special train has started its journey to Kamakhya with the stranded passengers from the accident site, they added.
Three trains were diverted because of the derailment. These trains are Dhauli Express, Neelachal Express and Purulia Express.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed concern over the accident, and said, "Authorities are on-site, ensuring assistance and restoring normalcy at the earliest. Helplines activated for support."
The helplines are 8455885999 and 8991124238.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said two persons from his state were injured in the accident and are undergoing treatment.
"Both are out of danger," he said in a post on X.
Sarma said his office was in touch with the Odisha government and the railways.
"We will reach out to each and every person who is affected," he said.
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Uncompromising stand against Bangladesh-origin Muslims swayed votes for NDA: Himanta
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asserted that his government's "uncompromising stand" in taking steps against Bangladesh-origin Muslims swayed people in favour of the BJP-led NDA in this year's assembly elections, resulting in the alliance securing a two-thirds majority.
He maintained that the NDA's win was a victory for the Assamese indigenous people and affirmed continuing developmental work in the state.
Addressing a press conference, Sarma said, "The double-engine government and unprecedented development the state witnessed in the last five years are among the main reasons for our victory."
"We had assured of securing the Assamese 'jati' (community) and took steps to deliver it. Assam progressed in the cultural and economic sectors. Our uncompromising stand against Bangladesh-origin Muslims also had an impact," he said.
The NDA swept to a third successive term in the state by securing 102 seats in the 126-member state assembly. The BJP won 82 seats, while its allies AGP and Bodoland People's Front bagged 10 each.
On Sarma predicting nearly exact numbers for the alliance before the results, he said the assessment was based on his connect with the people.
"I visited every assembly segment thrice before elections. I have a good mass connect system, which helped in my assessment," he said.
Sarma claimed that recommendations of the Justice (retd) Biplab Sharma committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, which deals with constitutional safeguards for the indigenous Assamese population, were implemented by his government.
"It was because of it that the Assamese people won yesterday. It was not just a BJP victory," he asserted.
The CM claimed the NDA secured the support of all sections of people, including Gen Z, which was evident in the young faces fielded by the BJP emerging victorious.
He dismissed the charge that the BJP has an "outsider" among its MLAs, referring to Guwahati Central legislator-elect Vijay Gupta.
"Vijay Gupta is an Assamese. If he is a Bihari, we (ancestors) also came from Kannauj. We all have come from different parts. Mongoloids came from outside, Aryans came from outside. This outsider narrative has been created by you all (media)," Sarma said.
On the Congress' poor poll performance, he maintained that there were very few people in the opposition party who understood the sentiments of the Assamese people.
Otherwise, the Congress would not have brought singer Zubeen Garg's name in its manifesto or levied allegations against an Assamese woman, Sarma added, referring to the opposition party's charges of multiple passports and undisclosed foreign investments of his wife.
The CM also maintained that Raijor Dal could have won four-five seats had it not joined hands with the Congress.
The Congress and Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal were part of a six-party opposition alliance that fought the elections together. Congress won 19 seats and Raijor Dal two, with the other allies drawing a blank.
"If Akhil Gogoi had not made the mistake, Sherman Ali Ahmed would have been his MLA today," Sarma said, referring to the expelled Congress leader who won as a TMC candidate after Raijor Dal refused him a ticket owing to the alliance.
On Gogoi being the only opposition MLA to win from a Hindu-majority seat, Sarma said, "It is the people of Sibsagar who decided who will represent them. On my part, it was the only Hindu majority seat where I didn't go to campaign."
"Akhil Gogoi should be kept in the assembly, else he will create chaos on the streets with his protests," Sarma said.
He also claimed that Gogoi had failed to make a single serious speech in the assembly during his first tenure as MLA and dubbed the Raijor Dal president a "comic relief" when the proceedings get dull.
