Bhubaneswar: In a compassionate gesture, the authorities has begun cremating 28 unclaimed bodies from the tragic Bahanaga train accident. The heart-wrenching incident, which occurred near the Bahanaga Bazaar railway station in Balasore, claimed the lives of 296 individuals and left approximately 1,175 others injured on the fateful evening of June 2.
Today, the disposal process began under the supervision of officials from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), the East Coast Railway (ECoR), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The bodies are being respectfully cremated, with the process set to continue through the night.
Due to the extended period during which these bodies were kept in deep freezers, nearly four months, they have sadly decomposed beyond the point of preservation, necessitating their dignified cremation.
In response to this devastating incident, seven South Eastern Railway (SER) employees were suspended from their services. Further investigation into the accident led to the arrest of three former employees, who were working in Balasore at the time of the tragedy. These individuals include senior section engineer (Signal) Arun Kumar Mahanta, section engineer Mohammed Amir Khan, and technician Pappu Kumar.
An inquiry report conducted by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), South Eastern Circle, highlighted that the accident was primarily caused by lapses in the signaling circuit alteration, which had been carried out earlier.