Save Democracy March: Sonia, Rahul, Manmohan detained, released

New Delhi, May 6: Members of the Congress party, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, party president Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, were detained by the police on Friday.

Party workers protested the arrest outside the Parliament Street Police station, climbing over police barricades.

The party had taken out a 'Loktantra Bachao March' (Save Democracy March) against the BJP government, starting from Jantar Mantar.

Before the march, the party leaders collectively slammed the Narendra Modi government, asking them where their promised 'Achhe Din' was and accusing them of "attacking democracy."

"They don't know what we are made of"

Ms. Gandhi alleged that the Congress-led governments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh were dislodged by the Modi regime with use of money power:

She said, "Today, Uttarakhand's jungles are burning but nothing is being done about it because there is no government. The BJP government is murdering democracy by taking down democratically elected governments. No matter how much they try to fight democracy, we will not let you succeed."

She asked Congress wokrers to “unmask” the Modi government in a democratic way and said they would not buckle under any form of injustice. "We will take detractors head on. Life has taught me to struggle, we have faced a lot of challenges. They don't know what we are made of," she said.

"Modiji has nothing to say"

"Modiji talked about 'Achhe din' when he came to power. But today, almost 40% of the country is affected by drought and he has nothing to say," said party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. "They destabilized the Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh, removed elected leaders & broke all laws," he said.

"Today in this country, there is talk of only two people - Narendra Modi ji and Mohan Bhagwat Ji. And whoever stands in their way or speaks against them, there are false accusations made about that person," he added.

Dr. Singh also spoke at the rally, saying Mr. Modi had attacked democracy. "By destabilising Congress governments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, Modi ji has attacked democracy. Now they are eyeing other INC governments," said Dr.Singh.

"Congress has always made sacrifices and taken steps to ensure that democracy is safe and we will continue to do so,"he added.

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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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