'CBI is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents': Kharge writes to PM Modi over probe in Odisha train tragedy

A day after the Railways sought a CBI probe into the Odisha train tragedy, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the probe agency is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents, and cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures.

Kharge also said "all the empty safety claims" of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have now been "exposed" and the government must bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident, which he described as one of the worst in Indian history.

In his four-page letter to Modi, the Congress chief said there is serious concern among the common passengers about the deterioration in safety of railways and therefore, it is incumbent upon the government to ascertain and bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident.

He alleged that instead of focusing on strengthening the railways at the basic level only "superficial touch up is being done to stay in news". Alleging that the railways was being meted out a "step-motherly treatment" by the government, Kharge also said consistently flawed decision making has made travelling by rail unsafe and has in turn compounded the problems of our people.

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"Unfortunately, the people in charge - your goodself and Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw - do not want to admit that there are problems," he said. The Railway Minister claims to have already found a root cause, but yet has requested the CBI to investigate, he said, asserting that the agency is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents.

"The CBI, or any other law enforcement agency, cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures. In addition, they lack the technical expertise in railway safety, signalling, and maintenance practices," the Congress chief said.

Attacking the government, Kharge said the train accident in Odisha has been an "eye opener" and all the empty safety claims of the Railway Minister have now been "exposed". The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying around 2,500 passengers, and a goods train on Friday has left 275 people dead and over 1,100 injured.

It was claimed during the budget presentation that about Rs 20,000 crore would be available annually, but this was not done, he said and asked why were the required funds not allocated for track renewal work. Noting that the Railway Board itself has recently admitted that loco pilots have had to work longer hours than mandated due to manpower shortage, Kharge said loco pilots are crucial to safety and overburdening them is proving to be the main cause of accidents. He asked why have their positions not been filled yet.

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"On February 8, 2023, the Principal Chief Operating Manager of South West Zonal Railway, referred to the collision of two trains in Mysore, and asserted for the need to repair the signalling system and had also forewarned about potential accidents in the future due to this flaw. But why and how could the Ministry of Railways ignore this crucial warning?" he said.

The Congress chief also flagged the issue of 3 lakh posts lying vacant in Indian Railways. The Congress president questioned the government as to why the was the previous dispensation's plans to roll out the anti-train-collision system, originally named Raksha Kavach, put on the "back burner".