How humanity died a million deaths in Balasore

Kolkata: “It has come to notice that some social media handles are mischievously giving communal colour to the tragic train accident at Balasore. This is highly unfortunate. An investigation by the GRP, Odisha into the cause and all other aspects of the accident is going on,” the Odisha Police tweeted on Sunday.

It has come to notice that some social media handles are mischievously giving communal colour to the tragic train accident at Balasore. This is highly unfortunate.

Investigation by the GRP, Odisha into the cause and all other aspects of the accident is going on.

— Odisha Police (@odisha_police) June 4, 2023

The police appeal came in the context of images of the Odisha train accident on social media, with some users attempting a communal angle by claiming that a mosque (actually the ISKCON Temple) was located near the spot of the accident.

Quite plainly, we have clearly lost our heads and are indulging in petty hate games when we should be uniting for humanity. This train accident is tragic on many counts as its aftermath will take a long time to heal and what we do not need is this utter and sheer nonsense.

No right-minded person will ever concoct an act such as this and it takes an even more devious mind to gain communal leverage from this tragedy.

Let’s get some facts straight before even responding to vitiated minds. In the last twenty years, there have been at least thirteen train crashes, each accident killing at least fifty people, and I am not even considering the routine casualties in and around tracks.

Railway safety, quite like the Poverty Line, is not a political matter but instead, an onerous struggle to upgrade technology and processes over a never-ending network. Let’s view things from a truthful perspective and not try to demolish humanity.

What adds to the distaste is the inevitable attempt of certain opposition parties to gain leverage, and I do understand the tactical motivation.

What I do not understand though, quite plainly, is why in God’s name there cannot be a token abstinence from mileage-hunting, given the scale of the calamity.

Railway records will surely confirm that there was adequate representation from every faith, all regions and most political systems in the casualty list, yet we are stuck on election mongering. Bye Bye humanity.

The same is also true for sections of media who are fulfilling perverse agendas to decipher the culprits, without even a semblance of knowledge or objectivity. Many are hoping that some diabolical policy-based lacunae will emerge as the roots, and that will be a bigger triumph for them than the saving of precious lives.

Quite naturally, nobody is much bothered about the selfless mobilisation of man and machine in the Balasore area, as if that comes with the territory.

Truth is, much before the NDRF came into play, untrained locals helped save human lives and that is what we must celebrate. Humanity must be allowed to breathe.

And where exactly is Corporate India hiding while Balasore is a mass crematorium? One would certainly have expected ITC, HUL, Amazon and endless peers, whose employees leverage their fat bonuses from the masses of India to partner in emergency activities. By offering water, food, clothes, medicines and more to top up the limited Government means.

This holds true for private healthcare as well and when trouble hits the roof, we have to fall back on state-run services, otherwise totally maligned. Humanity seems to have died for these profiteers, who frankly must be answerable.

According to a CAG report from 2022, 422 derailments from April 2017 to March 2022 were under the watch of the Engineering Department. Most of these cases were track-related while driver-related errors were also held culpable. Of the 275 cases attributable to the Operating Department, around 84% were in the arena of points and shunting, the chief culprits for Balasore as well.

The Track Management System was found to be deficient at times and most vitally, even the allotted funds were not utilised in full. Clearly a colossal operational failure for which the Railway Board must be accountable, instead of finding tactical scapegoats. At the dire cost of humanity.

What is most appalling in this desecration of humanity, way above these other deserving candidates is this deeply disturbing communal angle, accompanied by ‘fake’ evidence. It represents a diminishing of the character of the citizenry, way more severe than even corruption or morals. It further fuels the belief that the enemies of the state who lie within are way more dangerous than outsiders and they must be quelled urgently.

Not just 300-odd innocent folks, humanity died a million deaths in Odisha.

The technical deficiencies will be eventually corrected and the mass deaths will soon become private grief but the sensitivity equilibrium of our society must be hastily restored.

It’s really up to you and me, what we tolerate or banish and there is no higher power that can be blamed forever.