Dimapur, December 21 (MExN): Rajesh Kumar Sethi, National Coordinator of the AICC Minority Department (in charge – Manipur), has flagged the death of seven elephants after a train hit a herd on railway tracks in Assam, terming the incident a result of “criminal neglect” and policy failure by the BJP-led Union Government.
In a statement, Sethi said the incident involved the Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express and described it as a “brutal and avoidable tragedy,” adding that another elephant was also injured in the collision.
He alleged that the incident was not an isolated one but part of a continuing pattern of railway–wildlife collisions that have claimed the lives of several elephants in recent years.
According to him, such incidents point to a lack of concern for environmental protection, wildlife conservation, and the safety of communities living near forest corridors.
Holding the Union Ministry of Railways responsible, Sethi said that under the BJP government led by Narendra Modi, the railways had failed to put in place adequate safeguards to prevent wildlife casualties.
He cited the absence of protected wildlife corridors, early warning or intrusion detection systems, and the failure to implement basic safety protocols along vulnerable railway stretches.
Sethi asserted that the deaths of endangered elephants could not be dismissed as accidents but were a foreseeable consequence of “administrative negligence.”
He further demanded the immediate resignation of the Union Railway Minister, stating that repeated incidents reflected a serious lapse in governance and accountability.
“This tragedy is an indictment of policy failure,” he said, adding that a government unable to protect both people and wildlife must resign.
