Balasore tragedy: Injured train driver missing, family alleges they are not allowed to meet him
Hospital said he was discharged five days ago, while family asserts they have no info about him
New Delhi: The family of the injured driver of the Coromandel Express has expressed concerns over being denied access to him, according to reports from Hindustan Times and Jagran English. The driver, Gunanidhi Mohanty, had earlier been mistakenly reported as deceased by Times Now, with his alleged last words being "the signal was green."
The family now claims to have no knowledge of Mohanty's whereabouts. He had been admitted to a private hospital with severe injuries, but the hospital has stated that he was discharged five days ago.
Mohanty's elder brother, Ranjit Mohanty, expressed frustration, stating, "Nobody has told us anything about my brother. I think he is still in the hospital. But I am not sure." The family's attempts to obtain information from the railways have also been unsuccessful.
Vikas Kumar, Public Relations Officer of the East Coast Railway division, responded to inquiries by saying, "Health is a private issue and we can't comment on that. Besides, two probes (by CRS and CBI) are continuing. So we will not be able to comment."
Sanjay Mohanty, another brother of the driver, stated that he had visited Gunanidhi Mohanty in the ICU a couple of days after the accident but has not been permitted to see him since then.
Gunanidhi Mohanty, a resident of Naharpada village located 10 km from Cuttack, was admitted to the hospital with multiple broken ribs and head injuries following the crash.
The driver's 80-year-old father expressed his confusion and longing for his son's return, saying, "Everyone in the village thinks my son is responsible for the accident. But he has been piloting trains for the past 27 years and had never, ever made a mistake. How do I know what happened that evening? I have not even spoken to my son. I have only been waiting for him to come home."
The Hindustan Times clarified that the driver was not among the five officials being interrogated by the CBI or Railway Safety Commissioner regarding the accident, which claimed the lives of an estimated 291 people.
The family's distress over the driver's mysterious disappearance is both baffling and unfortunate, leaving them without answers and longing for his safe return.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
