Goods train hits stationary freight coaches in Bengal's Bankura, none hurt
Kolkata (PTI): A goods train collided with another stationary freight train at Onda in Bankura district of West Bengal on Sunday morning, a senior South Eastern Railway official said.
No one was injured in the accident, which affected train services in the Adra division of SER for over four hours, he said.
At least eight wagons derailed due to the collision, which happened around 4 am, the official said.
Train movement at Onda in the Midnapore-Adra section of Adra division was restored at 8.30 am, after urgent repair work was carried out, he said.
The derailed wagons were removed from the tracks on war footing, and the first passenger train to pass was the 18011 Howrah-Chakradharpur express at 8.35 am, he said.
The incident comes weeks after the train disaster at Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha's Balasore district on June 2 in which 288 people were killed and hundreds injured.
Onda is around 250 km away from Bahanaga Bazar.
The SER official said the likely cause of Sunday's accident was that the driver of the moving goods train had overshot the home signal at Onda, which was red.
The train then went into the loop line, for which the point was likely to have been set on the tracks, and hit the stationary freight wagons, he said.
An enquiry will be held to pinpoint the cause of the incident.
At least 20 express and passenger trains were cancelled and some others were diverted via other routes due to the accident, he added.
VIDEO | "As of preliminary information, one of the goods trains was standing when it got hit by the other goods train. More details will be revealed after a detailed inquiry," says safety officer Dibakar Majhi at Onda Station near West Bengal's Bankura. pic.twitter.com/mgiJIwcE1U
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
