Rahul Gandhi mourns Darjeeling train tragedy, blames Modi government for accident
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sent his condolences to the families of the victims of the train accident in Darjeeling in the east Indian state of West Bengal on Monday (June 17).
At least 15 people were killed and several more were injured when a passenger train and a cargo train crashed in West Bengal's Darjeeling area on Monday. According to a senior railway official, among the dead were the cargo train's pilot and co-pilot.
“The news of the death of many people due to the accident of Kanchanjunga Express in West Bengal is extremely sad. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X in Hindi.
Gandhi also criticised the work of the Narendra Modi government in terms of railway safety, blaming "mismanagement and negligence" for the surge in rail accidents during the previous 10 years.
“Today's accident is another example of this reality - as a responsible opposition, we will continue to question this blatant negligence and hold the Modi government accountable for these accidents,” he said.
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Initial reports indicate that the parked passenger train and the freight train could have collided due to the goods train overshooting a signal. Officials have not yet confirmed if problems with the signaling system had a part in the tragedy.
West Bengal state and other northeastern cities are connected by the daily Kanchanjunga Express train. It is frequently used by visitors traveling to the hill station of Darjeeling, which is popular during the summer months when other Indian towns are boiling in the heat.
Long-distance train services from northeastern and north Bengal have been interrupted by the accident.
This event followed another tragic train disaster in eastern India last year, which claimed the lives of over 280 people, making it one of the country's worst railway disasters in decades.
(With inputs from agencies)
