Three school students died and three others were injured after a passenger train hit a school van while it was crossing a railway level crossing in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, police said. The gatekeeper posted at the level crossing has been suspended and arrested, Southern Railway officials said.
According to officials, the deceased have been identified as a Cass 5 boy (10) T Chezhiyan, his sister, a class 11 student (16), T Charumathy and a class 6 boy (11), V Nimalesh. While Charumathy and Nimalesh died on the spot, Chezhiyan succumbed to injuries at Puducherry JIPMER hospital.
Among those injured are another student travelling in the school van, its driver, and a bystander, who rushed to help but got electrocuted after coming in contact with a live pole that was damaged in the accident. The injured are being treated at a government hospital in Cuddalore, officials said.
Around 7:45 am, the school van carrying the students tried to cross the railway level crossing between Cuddalore and Alappakkam, and was hit by Villupuram - Mayiladuthurai passenger train, the railway officials said.
Due to the impact, the van was flung a distance away from the level crossing. The loco pilot managed to stop the train after traversing some distance, police said.
{{/usCountry}}Due to the impact, the van was flung a distance away from the level crossing. The loco pilot managed to stop the train after traversing some distance, police said.
{{/usCountry}}While the Southern Railway said the level crossing was closed and the van driver insisted it be opened to avoid delay, the latter and one of the injured students claimed the gate was open.
“According to the railway records, the gate keeper had closed the gate at 7.06 am,” Trichy divisional manager of the railways, Anbalagan told reporters.
“The van driver insisted to allow the van to cross the gate to avoid delay in reaching the school, which was wrongly permitted by the gatekeeper, violating the rules and protocol. The gatekeeper could not have opened the gate as per the rules. The gate keeper has been suspended and process has been initiated for his dismissal from service, and FIR has been lodged against him for this criminal negligence, and the gatekeeper has been arrested,” the Southern Railway said in a statement.
The statement also said that an underpass, already sanctioned by Southern railway on this gate with full railway funding, is awaiting an approval by the district collector for the last 1 year.
However, the van driver and another injured student came up with a different version.
“The gate was open. There was no sound of a train honking, so I crossed,” driver C Shankar said.
The student, who identified himself as Vishwesh, said that “neither was the gate closed, nor was there any signal.” “The gate was open, there was no train horn (blaring). So the driver proceeded and suddenly the train came and the accident happened,” he said.
The railways announced a solatium of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased, ₹2.5 lakh to those injured, and ₹50,000 for those with minor injuries. Chief minister M K Stalin announced a solatium of ₹5 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund, ₹1 lakh for those grievously injured, and ₹50,000 for minor injuries.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders said that Stalin should explain why the underpass sanctioned a year back has not been approved.
“...even critical development works, such as permitting the construction of a railway underpass, are moving at a snail’s pace under the DMK government. Will the chief minister ever act with responsibility,” BJP leader K Annamalai said in a post on X.
The ruling DMK did not respond to allegations of an underpass yet to be approved. “I was shocked and saddened by the acccident,” CM said in a post on X. He deputed minister M R K Panneerselvem, DMK’s district secretary for Cuddalore (East) to assist the affected families.
“Earlier during such an accident the railways themselves said that it was because the person appointed did not know the local language. A similar thing has happened now,” TKS Elangovan, senior DMK leader told ANI. “In such important posts, people who know the local langauge should be appointed so it will save the people.”
Locals at the accident spot and DMK’s ideological parent the Dravida Kazhagam said that the gatekeeper did not understand Tamil which could have been a barrier.
“Blaming language to cover up the mistake made (by not giving permission for the underpass) by the DMK is cheap and bad politics,” said BJP state vice president, Naraynan Thirupathy.