JNU Welcomes UGC's 'Surgical Strike Day' Circular, Jamia to Finalise 'Programme on Monday'

New Delhi, Sept 22: The Jawaharlal Nehru University on Friday welcomed a University Grants Commission circular asking varsities and higher educational institutions across the country to observe September 29 as 'surgical strike day', while Jamia Millia Islamia said it would "finalise the programme on Monday".

The controversial UGC circular issued on Thursday has triggered a political row with the ruling TMC in West Bengal saying it will not be followed in the state and joined the Congress to allege the move was part of BJP's political agenda but the Centre asserted this reflected patriotism and not politics.

JNU vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar welcomed the move.

"Observation of 'surgical strike day' on 29th September 2018 by Universities is a welcome move to pay our tributes to the armed forces. JNU is proud of our defence forces as the officers who graduate from India's six major defence institutes are our alumni," he posted on Twitter.

A spokesperson from Jamia Millia Islamia said the programme will be finalised on Monday.

"As per the circular of UGC, programmes will be organised by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) on September 29. NCC and NSS units will finalise the programme on Monday," the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, sources in the Delhi University said they received the circular late on Thursday, and Friday being a gazetted holiday, a call will be taken on Monday on how to go about it.

Taking a dig at the government, JNU Students' Union president N Sai Balaji said the BJP-led dispensation believes in jumlas (rhetoric) and 'hamla' (attack).

"There is a surgical strike happening on the common man due to rising petrol and diesel prices and on women and marginalised communities. The biggest surgical strike happened on November 8, 2016 in the form of demonetisation after which several small businesses were shut down, many people lost their lives and jobs," Balaji said.

"The Rafale deal was awarded to a corporate after being taken away from a PSU (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) which could have generated employment. Why are we not celebrating these surgical strikes. This government only indulges in jumlas and hamla," he 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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