30 people feared dead as Gorakdham Express rams goods train

May 26, 2014

Lucknow, May 26: Around 30 people are feared dead and 50 have been injured as Gorakhpur-bound Gorakhdham Express rammed into a goods train at Chureb station between Basti and Gorakhpur on Monday morning.

As per initial reports, both the trains came on the single track due to signal error. Three general coaches of Gorakhdham Express were badly crushed while six others were derailed.

Locals were the first to rush for rescue operations. The district administration said that 30 people had died in the accident. However, railway officials did not confirm the number of dead and injured.

"People are saying this based on their own assessment. There are lot of people inside the coaches who need to be rescued first," said CPRO, Ner, Alok Kumar Singh.

Officials in the Railway Board said the mishap occurred due to derailment of the express train.

They said six coaches of the train then rammed into a stationary goods train standing on the adjoining track at the station.

Out of the six coaches, four were general coaches and two were AC coach — AC first class and AC two tier.

Railways has ordered an inquiry into the mishap by commissioner Railway Safety (Northeast circle) PK Bajpayee.

They have also ordered a compensation of Rs one lakh to the family of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured.

A sum of Rs 10,000 will be given to those who sustained simple injuries.

Meanwhile, PM-designate Narendra Modi offered condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the train tragedy. Congress president Sonia Gandhi also expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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