Balasore 2023 train mishap: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw declines to name those responsible

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while responding to allegations and counter-allegations in the Parliament over the 2023 Balasore triple train collision, declined to name those responsible in the case, stating that doing so would invite claims of a ‘communal angle’.

His remarks came amid a debate in which opposition members questioned the handling of accountability in one of India’s deadliest railway disasters.

Referring to the Balasore accident during the discussion, Vaishnaw said the matter had already been examined by multiple statutory and criminal investigation agencies and that a charge sheet had been filed.

“In the case of Balasore accident… the matter was investigated by technical teams as well as by CRS and later on by CBI… A charge sheet was filed against the persons concerned. I would not like to take the names, my friends will say it’s a communal angle… I am not going to take the names here,” the Minister told the House.

Remarks Linked To Claims Of Pilot Being Blamed

The Minister’s made the statement in response to one DMK MP’s claim that the family of a loco pilot had been ‘devastated’ after being wrongly blamed for the Balasore disaster.

Vaishnaw rejected the assertion, stating that at no stage had the government or official investigation reports held the train pilots responsible for the crash.

He maintained that the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had completed their probes and submitted reports that clearly identified the cause of the accident.

Both investigations concluded that the disaster resulted from technical failures and human negligence during maintenance, not from pilot error or any sabotage, which social media rumours were rife with.

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What Happened On June 2, 2023:

On the evening of June 2, 2023, at around 6:55 pm, a catastrophic triple-train collision occurred near Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore district. The crash involved the Coromandel Express travelling towards Chennai, the SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah Superfast Express heading towards Howrah, and a stationary goods train loaded with iron ore.

The Coromandel Express, moving at approximately 128 kmph on the Up Main Line, was wrongly diverted into a loop line due to a signalling error. On that loop line, a goods train was standing stationary. The Coromandel Express rammed into the rear of the goods train at near full speed, causing its locomotive to mount the wagons and leading to the derailment of 21 to 22 coaches.

Simultaneously, the Bengaluru–Howrah Superfast Express was passing on the adjacent Down Main Line. Three derailed coaches of the Coromandel Express fell onto the opposite track and collided with the rear portion of the passing train, resulting in the derailment of its last two coaches and brake van.

The disaster claimed around 296 lives and left more than 1,200 passengers injured, making it one of the deadliest rail accidents in India in recent decades.