Ask states to ensure Kashmiris' safety: Omar to Rajnath

Agencies

February 15, 2019

New Delhi/Srinagar, Feb 15: Asserting that Kashmiri people living in other states could be soft targets in a surcharged atmosphere, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Friday asked Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to direct all state governments to ensure their safety.

"My earnest appeal to @rajnathsingh ji to please issue directions to all state governments to take special care in areas/colleges/institutions where Kashmiris are residing/studying. They are soft targets in a surcharged atmosphere," Abdullah tweeted.

He also asked people to unite against terror and maintain peace.

"Kashmiris/Muslims in Jammu didn't attack our CRPF jawans yesterday (Thursday), terrorists did. This violence is a convenient tool by some to shift the blame. Let's unite against terror, let's not allow terror to divide us," Abdullah said.

His remarks came after curfew was imposed in Jammu as a precautionary measure following massive protests and stray incidents of violence over the terror attack in Kashmir's Pulwama on Thursday that killed 40 CRPF personnel.

"Giving vent to anger by attacking innocent people because of their ethnicity or religion is no way to honour the sacrifices yesterday. Reports of violence & arson in Jammu are deeply worrying. I hope political leaders & civil society are able to ensure cooler heads prevail," Abdullah, who is also the National Conference vice president, said.

He said if the attention of security forces and the administration is shifted to dealing with "communal violence" in Jammu instead of investigating the attack and preventing further such attacks "who are we helping with the arson & violence?"

At least 40 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed when a terrorist of Pakistan-based outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus they were travelling in, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama's district.

Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said miscreants in Jammu were trying to take advantage of the situation by inciting tension.

"Distressed to hear about miscreants in Jammu trying to take advantage of the situation by inciting tension. Guv (Governor) adm (administration) should have preempted this by securing minority-dominated areas. Have spoken to IG (inspector general of police) Jammu to deploy additional security," Mehbooba wrote on Twitter.

She said the need of the hour is to show compassion and come together.

"It will be a travesty & against the spirit of our secular ethnocultural values to use this terror attack as an excuse to target minorities. Hour of the need is to show compassion & come together (sic)," she said.

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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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