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Four BJP supporters, who were on their way to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in West Bengal, died, and one person was seriously injured in a train accident in Nadia district on Saturday.
The accident occurred between Badkulla and Taherpur in the morning, when an express train ran over the party supporters, who had got down from their bus and were sitting on the railway tracks to answer nature’s call. They had failed to notice the fast-approaching train, reportedly due to dense fog, the police said.
Upon receiving the alert, senior railway and police officials rushed to the spot. The bodies have been sent for postmortem, said an officer.
The police and local administration have launched an investigation into the incident, which drew sharp criticism from the ruling Trinamool Congress Party.
TMC MP Mahua Maitro wrote in her “X” post, “Terrible tragedy hushed up at altar of @narendramodi ego. @BJP4India supporters brought from far Murshidabad for PM Rally in Ranaghat today. Rally next to rail line. 4 went to answer nature’s call & were killed by 31814 Dn local train near Taherpur. BJP ignored, blacked out & went ahead with rally..”
TMC stated that no safety protocols were followed while transporting party workers from another district, alleging that the men had to lay down their lives to feed the ego of “One man and the vanity of one party”.
It posted on X, “People were brought in from other districts, herded like sheep and cattle for @narendramodi’s rally, with no safety protocols, no crowd management, and no concern for human life. And the inevitable happened. In the wee hours of the morning, near Taherpur Railway Station, several men were run over by Train No. 31814 (Krishnanagar–Sealdah Local). Three people are dead and more are battling for survival at Krishnanagar Hospital. They paid with their lives to feed the ego of ONE MAN and the vanity of ONE PARTY.”
It further added, “This is exactly what @BJP4India’s politics stands for. If gambling with ordinary lives helps them inflate numbers, create spectacle, and dominate headlines, they will do it without hesitation. And this is not a first. Time and again, BJP has played fast and loose with people’s lives. Everywhere they go, they leave behind death and devastation. And the blood trail leads straight to Delhi. Responsibility begins at the very top. If the “Pradhan Sevak” cannot even ensure that a political rally does not turn into a killing field, then the minimum owed to the nation is an official apology, and resignation from office.”
However, PM Modi, who was supposed to reach Taherpur around 11.15 am on Saturday to address a rally and unveil highway projects, later virtually addressed the gathering in Nadia district after his helicopter failed to land at Taherpur due to heavy fog and returned to Kolkata. This was Modi’s first visit to the state since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls began.
According to BJP sources, Modi was expected to specifically address members of the Matua community at the Ranaghat rally, as many are anxious about the outcome of the ongoing SIR of the electoral rolls.
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