The death count in the Balasore train accident has gone up to 288, with over 1,000 injured. This is perhaps one of the worst train accidents in independent India. The death toll is expected to rise in the coming days; rescue operations are still going on; and many are reported to be missing. Railways Minister Ahswini Vaishnaw said that the accident happened due to an issue with the “electronic interlocking system.” However, there should be a proper investigation into the accident. The railway minister and the senior officers in the ministry should own moral responsibility for this calamity. Just blaming a few junior level officials will not suffice.
Also, at a time when everyone is mourning the death of so many people in the accident, a section of right-wing supporters, trying to defend the ruling BJP government, started to give communal colour to the accident by targeting the minority Muslim community. So much so that the Odisha Police, under whose jurisdiction the accident took place, had to come out and give a statement. The police issued a warning on Sunday against giving the deadly train accident a “communal colour.” In a tweet, the police said that some social media handles have been circulating “ill-motivated” posts on the Balasore accident, and that legal action would be taken against them. This kind of act is highly condemnable. Instead of helping to heal the wounds of those affected by the accident, the attempt to give communal colour without any truth behind it is very unfortunate. The right-wing supporters should stop behaving like this for the sake of humanity.