Railways Ministry refuses to shift Maharaja Saloon Coach from Delhi National Rail Museum to Mysuru
Mysuru: The Ministry of Railways has turned down the local MP’s request to shift the Mysore Maharaja Saloon Coach, which is currently placed at the National Rail Museum in New Delhi, to the Mysuru Rail Museum.
Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and his predecessor Pratap Simha in 2022 had requested that the coach be shifted. The MPs had stated that Mysuru was the seat of power of the Mysore Maharajas and placing the coach for display at the city museum rather than in New Delhi made greater sense, The Hindu has reported.
The Ministry of Railway, in its official response dated September 30, called the saloon coach of the Mysore Maharaja, which was more than 125 years old, one of the prestigious exhibits at the National Rail Museum and explained that it could suffer irreparable damage during the long-distance transportation from New Delhi to Mysuru.
Aashima Mehrotra, Executive Director, Heritage, Railway Board, addressed a letter to the General Manager of the South Western Railway, stating that the Mysuru Rail Museum already has the Maharani’s Royal Carriage and a dining-cum-kitchen car as an exhibit.
The Railway authorities had reportedly not literally rejected the MP’s plea to shift the coach to Mysuru, the local authorities have drawn this inference based on the contents of the letter from the higher authorities. The communiqué from the Railway Board has also stated that a virtual tour of the Maharaja’s Saloon was accessible to all on the Google Art and Culture platform, which has also been considered a clarification that the Maharaja’s saloon coach would not be shifted.
The saloon was used by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and the coach was built in 1899 at the Bangalore Workshop of Mysore State Railway, reportedly as a three-carriage rake inclusive of the Maharani’s coach and the dining-cum-kitchen car. The undercarriage of the coach was designed in a manner that would enable its use on broad gauge and metre gauge tracks as well, sources added. The cost of fabricating and building the coach was ₹29,508 each and the Maharani’s coach was built in 1914.
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11-year-old dies by suicide after sexual assault in Bareilly; accused arrested
Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl, who later died by suicide due to trauma, police said on Wednesday.
The post-mortem report confirmed sexual assault and multiple injuries on the minor's body, including bite marks and nail scratches. The cause of death was found to be hanging, they said.
According to ASP (South) Anshika Verma, the incident came to light on 27 April, when the girl, a Class 8 student, was found hanging at her home in Deoria Abdullaganj village under the Mirganj police station area. Initially, the family reported the death as suicide and was reluctant to pursue police action.
"The autopsy report changed the course of the investigation. It confirmed sexual assault and noted severe physical trauma. The cause of death was confirmed as hanging," Verma said.
A breakthrough in the case came from the statement of the victim's younger sister, who told police that the accused, Zeeshan (26), a resident of the same village, frequently loitered near the minor's school and allegedly gave her small sums of money to keep his interactions with her a secret, she said.
Police said that on the day of the incident, the accused allegedly lured the minor and assaulted her. Distressed by the incident, the child later took her own life while her mother was away, police said.
"Based on technical surveillance, CCTV footage, and statements from the family, we established Zeeshan's involvement. He was arrested near the Mirganj weekly market on Tuesday," they said.
