"Crime against wildlife": TMC MP Sukhendu Roy demands accountability from Railway Minister after elephant-train accident in Assam

New Delhi [India], December 20 (ANI): Rajya Sabha MP Sukhedu Sekhar Roy, in a letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday, drew attention to the deaths of seven elephants, including four calves in Assam, noting that such incidents recur due to trains exceeding speed limits in designated elephant corridors.
Roy noted that at 2:17 AM on December 20, the Sairang-New Delhi Anand Bihar Express struck a herd of elephants crossing their ancient forest path in Hojai district, Lamding Division, North Frontier Railway. He described these deaths not as accidents but as the result of human negligence, pointing out that speeding trains have become a recurring threat to elephants and other wildlife.
"You are aware that 8(eight) elephants including a calf crushed to death in the wee hours (2.17 AM) today, the 20th December'25 by speeding Sairang-New Delhi Anand Bihar Express while a herd of elephants were crossing their ancient forest path in Hojai district of Assam under Lamding Division of North Frontier Railway. Such accidents have become a man-made menace in the natural habitats and corridors of elephants in particular and other wild animals in general as they are being killed every year by speeding trains in some parts or the other in the country," Roy wrote in his letter.
Roy reminded that, despite Supreme Court orders since 2014 (Re: Shakti Prasad Nayak vs. Union of India) mandating strict speed limits in elephant corridors, especially at night and subsequent government directives, the situation has not improved. The court had ordered speed limits of 45 kmph in Assam and in specific sections of North Bengal, yet monitoring remains inadequate. No penal action has been taken against railway officials who neglect these rules.
"You are also aware that in several cases since 2014, the Hon'ble Supreme Court (Re: Shakti Prasad Nayak Vs. Union of India) mandated inter alia for introduction of speed limits on Passenger and Goods Trains in the elephant corridors across India, in pursuance whereof Government of India reportedly directed for cap of 45 kmph for all trains in most vulnerable sections from 6 PM to 6 AM and in some highly sensitive stretches of Siliguri-Alipurduar in North Bengal at 30 kmph from 5 pm to 5 am and 45 kmph in Assam from 6 pm to 6 am," the letter said.
"Despite the mandatory order of the Hon'ble Apex Court and the subsequent directions of the Government of India, situation has not improved at all due to reckless driving of speeding trains in the elephant corridors across the country and abysmal failure of monitoring of train speeds by the concerned officials as also for not initiating any penal action against the errant drivers and divisional managers who wilfully neglected and deliberately failed to maintain the speed limit as per Supreme Court's orders and Government directives. In my considered view, the instant incident of killing eight elephants in Assam by Rajdhani Express is not an accident at all, but result of deliberate attempt to flout orders of Supreme Court and the Government," he added.
Roy called the incident a "crime against wildlife" and an act of defiance against judicial and government orders. He demanded that responsibility be fixed and strict action taken against the train driver and railway officials to prevent further such tragedies.
"It's a crime against wildlife, it's a crime of defying judicial and departmental orders and a case of development without humanity. The question is how many more will die? I would, therefore, demand in the interest of safety of nation's wildlife that accountability is fixed for this preventable crime and appropriate action is initiated against the concerned driver and other railway personnel forthwith to avoid recurrence of reckless driving of trains causing such deaths to hapless elephants and other wild animals," the letter said. (ANI)