Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday turned the heat on the BJP-led Central government and sought the resignation of Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for the tragic triple train accident that took place in Odisha's Balasore on Friday. 288 people have died in the accident and over 1000 sustained injuries in one of India's worst train disasters in over two decades.
Gandhi slammed the Narendra Modi-led government in his latest tweet and asked the Prime Minister to seek the resignation of Vaishnav.
"No accountability even after 270+ deaths! The Modi government cannot run away from taking responsibility for such a painful accident.
"The Prime Minister should immediately seek the resignation of the Railway Minister!" Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.
Signalling Issue Led to Triple Train Accident, Says Railway Board
The Railway board informed the media on Sunday that some issue was detected with signalling in the preliminary findings.
"According to the preliminary findings, there has been some issue with the signalling. We are still waiting for the detailed report from the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
"Only Coromandal Express met with an accident. The train was at a speed of around 128 km/h," said Jaya Varma Sinha, Member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board.
Cause known but awaiting CRS report and nod
Verma also said that the prima facie cause of the accident has been known. However, the board member added that as a "responsible officer" she cannot share the exact cause as there is need to wait for the CRS report, as that is the protocol. The CRS inquiry is underway and more details will be shared only after the investigation is over.
