Seven Elephants Killed as Rajdhani Express Derails in Assam, Location Mismatch Raises Questions

After seven elephants were killed following a collision with Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express causing derailment of five coaches in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, questions are being raised over the information passed by the office of the Range Forest officer of Lumding Range regarding the movement of the elephant herd.

In a statement, Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that the accident took place at 2:17 am in the Jamunamukh-Kampur section under Lumding Division of Northeast Frontier Railway, when the Sairang to New Delhi Rajdhani Express collided with elephants. The site of the accident is located at Railway KM post126/1.

However, a caution order issued earlier by the Lumding Range Forest Officer appears to indicate a different location. In a letter dated December 19, Lumding Range Forest Officer Jekolin Teronpi stated that a herd of elephants had been sighted near Railway KM posts 166/8–171/3 and 174/4–6 at around 5:08 pm between Lamsakhang (LKG) and Habaipur (HWX).

The letter requested the railway authorities to impose a caution order and restrict train speeds due to the possible movement of wild elephants in the specified stretches. The apparent mismatch between the locations mentioned in the forest department's caution order and the actual accident site has raised concerns over coordination and communication between forest and railway authorities.

According to the Ministry of Railways on receiving information about the movement of elephants, caution orders are issued to loco pilots advising them to proceed with vigilance and remain prepared to stop in the event of elephant presence on the tracks. In addition, temporary speed restrictions are imposed, which are revised from time to time based on inputs and advisories received from the forest departments of the respective states.

In a statement, Sharma said that the incident took place at a location which is not a designated elephant corridor. "The loco pilot on observing the herd of elephants applied emergency brakes. However, elephants dashed with the train. There were no casualties or injuries to any passenger."

The area is about 126 km away from Guwahati. Accident Relief trains along with officials from the divisional HQ is already at site. Senior railway officers including the General Manager of N.F. Railway and Divisional Railway Manager of Lumding also rushed to the site.

"The passengers of the affected coaches have been temporarily accommodated in the vacant berths available in other coaches. The derailment effected train after detaching the affected coaches has left the site for Guwahati at 06-11 hrs. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be added to accommodate the passengers of the affected coaches, and the train will resume its journey," the PRO added further.