“My daughter was made to sign on blank paper by Railway Police…”, Passenger whose complaint led to FIR against Goods Train deceased pilot denies lodging any complaint ever

Hours after GRP of Indian Railways registered a FIR on the basis of a complaint forwarded by ‘Railway official’ and lodged by a passenger against the Loco Pilot and Co Loco Pilot of the goods train over the Kanchanjunga Train tragedy, the complainant’s father on Tuesday, in a new twist of events has alleged that his daughter was made to sign on a blank paper by railway officials on Monday evening while she was admitted to a hospital undergoing treatment for her own injuries.

A formal complaint was lodged on Monday evening against the deceased Loco Pilot and his Co Loco- Pilot of the goods train, hours after it had rammed into the rear of the Kanchenjunga Express near Rangapani in Darjeeling claiming at least 10 lives and leaving more than 39 injured. The complaint named a passenger Chaitali Majumdar as the complainant, registered with the GRP, alleging that the “accident has happened due to rush and negligent conduct from the end of the loco pilot and co loco pilot of the goods train”. According to the complaint letter, Chaitali Majumdar was onboard the S6 coach of Kanchenjunga Express with seat number 17 ( middle berth), against a PNR number 6137297904, travelling from New Jalpaiguri to Sealdah. The complaint letter, accessed by News The Truth, read, after the accident Chaitali had gotten down the bogie, only to realise “ one goods train hit the Dn Kanchenjunga Express from the back side” and then she was taken to the Railway hospital for treatment.

Less than 24 hours later, the same complainant- Chaitali Majumdar’s family on Tuesday has denied lodging any complaint with the Railway police against the pilots of the goods train. “She was travelling in the ill-fated train; she was herself injured and treated in a hospital. How will she know sitting inside the train what caused the accident and who are responsible? How will she know that the goods train driver is responsible? She was made to sign on a blank paper by RPF and police, that is all. The complaint is fake and baseless. Chaitali was made to sign on the paper while undergoing treatment at the hospital”, said Chinmoy Majumdar, father of Chaitali Majumdar on Tuesday.

While the blame since the accident had been unofficially directed towards the loco pilot for overshooting signal in high speed, in violation of the rules prescribed under paper signalling system, this fresh development has put the spot light on the railways specially when the loco pilot himself has died in the accident, not there for his own self defence. Investigation so far has confirmed that the automatic signalling wasn’t working on Monday over a track stretch of 14 kms. Railways, as the alternative convention had given authority for ‘paper signalling’ in order to give clearances to trains including the Kanchenjunga Express and the Goods Train. The rules suggest that paper signalling are handed over to pilots with a ‘caution order’ limiting speed and making intermittent stoppages mandatory so that distance can be maintained between two trains on one track. Investigations so far hasn’t confirmed, what was speed of the Goods Train when it had rammed into Kanchanjunga Express and if that had violated signals or overshot any.