Bid to destroy our party, will fight case legally: Dinakaran

Chennai, Apr 17: AIADMK (Amma) Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran, booked by Delhi Police for allegedly trying to bribe an Election Commission official, vowed today to fight the case legally and alleged that efforts were being made to "destroy our organisation politically". The crime branch of Delhi Police booked Dinakaran for allegedly trying to bribe an Election Commission official to get the 'two leaves' poll symbol in the by-election to the R K Nagar Assembly seat.

He was booked following the arrest of Sukesh Chandrasekhar, a middleman, from a five-star hotel in Delhi yesterday. The leader of the V K Sasikala faction of the ruling party also claimed he did not know Sukesh Chandrasekhar, a middleman arrested by the Delhi police in this matter. "I will answer if I get summons. I will face it legally. How does a broker or somebody say the money was from TTV Dinakaran? I don't know anybody by that name nor have I come across any such name in my life," he told reporters here.

He claimed efforts were on to "destroy our organisation politically," but said he was not aware who was doing so. "Such information is being spread to destroy our organisation politically. It is basically wrong to say that Sukesh has spoken to me. I don't know any such person. I don't know what is the plan and who is doing it," Dinakaran, on his way to meet his aunt and jailed party chief Sasikala at Bengaluru, said.

He also denied the bribery charges, saying "I didn't bribe anybody." The Election Commission had frozen AIADMK's 'two leaves' symbol after the two factions led by Sasikala and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked claim to it.

The bypoll to the R K Nagar Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu was scheduled for April 12, but the EC cancelled it, saying the electoral process had been "seriously vitiated" by parties through use of money power. Dinakaran was the candidate of the Sasikala faction. The seat fell vacant after the death of then chief minister J Jayalalithaa on December 5.

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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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