Sena backs Gaikwad, says blaming politicians is now a fashion

April 11, 2017

Mumbai, Apr 11: Shiv Sena today said the media's extensive coverage of the Gaikwad-Air India row made even infiltrations from Pakistan "look bleak" and noted that it has now become a fashion to hold politicians responsible for everything.

The Sena also asked why the government was only talking about discipline while flying and not on the ground as well, and why the Centre does not threaten to dissolve a state Assembly when there is even one incident of farmer suicide. "It was surprising that the media gave so much importance to the Gaikwad episode which made even infiltrations from Pakistan look bleak," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' today quipped.

"If so much media coverage was given to farmers' suicides, the hearts of those in power would have melted over their plight," the Sena said. "It has become a fashion now to hold politicians responsible for everything," it said. Air India had on April 7 lifted its ban on Gaikwad after he expressed regret for assaulting one of its employees.

The Osmanabad MP had assaulted the AI employee on March 23 after he landed here on a Pune-Delhi all-economy flight. Gaikwad later boastfully claimed on TV that he had hit the official 25 times with slippers. The Sena asked why the government is only talking about discipline while flying and not on the ground as well.

"Why are there attempts being made to discipline only Gaikwad? A TDP MP at Vijayawada airport had recently slapped a duty manager and prevented an airline from taking off its flight. Why was Gaikwad formula not applied to him as well?" it asked. "We accept that representatives of the people should behave well but nobody spoke against this TDP MP or (standup comedian) Kapil Sharma who behaved in an unruly way or even the TMC MP who created a ruckus," it said.

The Sena said the person who hit with the slipper has done wrong, but there also needs to be an inquiry if the one who got hit was a saint or a gentleman. The editorial said Air India's CMD may be a great man who has done great deeds, but where did his policy of firmly standing behind the airline employees get punctured in Vijayawada.

"If Gaikwad is guilty, let the law punish him. But stubbornness of a few people over the episode means an absence of law," it said. "Aviation Minister (MoS) Jayant Sinha is a gentleman and we welcome his stand to bring in discipline, but under which disciplinary rule does Air India CMD's action of maligning the image of an elected representative on social media fit? What is Air India's definition of discipline?" the Sena asked.

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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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