Odisha train tragedy: 5 rail employees under scanner

Five railway employees are under scanner as the national transporter is probing the triple-train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district that claimed 288 lives.

One employee is the station master at Bahanaga Bazar station. The four others who perform signalling-related jobs and were on duty at the time of the accident earlier this month are being questioned, said the railways.

Any further action against any employees depends on the accident probe report prepared by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS).

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Earlier, top railway officials suspected a possible manual tampering of the interlocking system which turned the signal for the Coromandel Express to green and guided it to the loop line where it collided with a stationary goods train.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting a separate probe into alleged criminal negligence that led to the accident at Bahanaga Bazar station on June 2.

Separately, two rail workers’ unions have come out in support of the national transporter amid criticism from the Opposition parties over the accident.

‘Tragedy politicised’

In a joint statement, the general secretaries of the All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) and the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) said that they were “anguished” at how the train tragedy has been “politicised”.

The unions have also said that the accusations reflect the “complete ignorance” of the people about the working condition of railway personnel.