Amit Shah to build bridges with Christian community on Kerala visit

New Delhi, Jun 2: BJP chief Amit Shah will undertake a three-day tour of Kerala from today as part of his efforts to strengthen the party and make it a potent force in the state by 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

He is scheduled to chair several party meetings and interact with bishops as part of his efforts to win over a section of Christians. He will also meet intellectuals and community leaders.

Mr Shah's visit comes against the backdrop of the controversial public slaughter of a calf by Youth Congress workers. A party leader, however, insisted that his tour should not be linked to the incident as it was scheduled long back and is part of his organisation-building exercise.

Mr Shah will meet bishops in Kochi today, underlining his party's efforts to build bridges with the minority community, which accounts for 18-20 per cent of votes in the southern state.

The party's in-charge of the state H Raja said the meeting is aimed at "understanding each other" and added that Mr Shah will undertake an "in-depth" analysis of the organisational work in the state during his three-day stay.

It has also been trying to cosy up to Kerala Congress (M), a former Congress ally that enjoys substantial following among Christians.

Many BJP leaders believe that it is imperative for the organisation to win over a section of minority votes to emerge as a potent force in a state where Hindu votes are about 55 per cent. Muslims constitute about 26-27 per cent of the electorate.

Mr Shah will also hold meetings with BJP allies, leaders of various communities and influential people, besides interacting with organisation leaders to take stock of its work and lay out its future plans.

Kerala is important in the BJP's strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as Mr Shah expects to win a chunk of its 21 seats after the party increased its vote share substantially to 16 per cent in the 2016 assembly polls. It, however, could win only one seat. It had drawn a blank in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

It has built alliance with smaller outfits representing different communities.

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Rajdhani Express Derails, 7 elephants killed after collision in Assam

News Network

December 20,2025

At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services.

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).

Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-

•   0361-2731621
•   0361-2731622
•   0361-2731623

The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.

Train Services Disrupted

Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.

Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.

The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.

Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30.

The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks.

Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years

At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.

Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.

The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.

These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.

The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.

Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.

A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.

Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested.

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