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INC Kerala Peddles Misleading Information On Passenger Death In Train, Gets Fact-Checked

The Commune

A 62-year-old passenger named Ali Khan was traveling in the sleeper coach of the Ernakulam-Hazrat Nizamuddin Millennium Superfast Express (12645). While Khan was resting on the lower berth, the upper berth, which was occupied by another passenger, unexpectedly collapsed onto him. The impact and the weight of the passenger resulted in severe injuries to Khan. Railway authorities promptly took him to a hospital in Hyderabad, but he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries during surgery.

In response to the incident, Indian Railways issued a statement clarifying that the accident was not due to a faulty berth. According to the railways, an inspection revealed that the upper berth’s occupant had failed to properly secure the berth using the chains, leading to the mishap.

This clarification came on 26 June 2024 following a media report that claimed a man traveling from Kerala to New Delhi died after an occupied upper berth fell on him. The railways further detailed that after receiving a message at around 6:34 PM on 15 June 2024, the on-duty station master at Ramagundam station quickly arranged for assistance through a 108 Ambulance and facilitated an unscheduled train stop at Ramagundam. Khan was then transferred from the coach to the ambulance and admitted to a nearby hospital.

Kerala Congress however chose to twist this incident to showcase the railways and the Railway Minister in poor light. They blamed safety as an issue among others. On their X handle, they wrote, “Condition of railways under @AshwiniVaishnaw and @narendramodi:  

-Not enough trains or seats  

-You can’t safely get onto a train  

-If you manage to get in, no seat

-Even if you get a seat, you could be killed in a train crash, ‘berth crash’ or poor hygiene“

Press Information Bureau, the fact-checking unit of the government (PIB fact-checked this and stated that due to imporper chaining of the middle berth, it fell on the passenger in the lower berth causing the fatal accident. They wrote, “A post on X by @INCKerala claims that the berth crashed on a passenger of Train 12645 Ernakulam to H. Nizamuddin #PIBFactCheck. The concerned passenger was traveling on lower berth of S/6 coach. Due to improper chaining of seat of upper berth by passenger, the seat fell down.”

Kerala BJP called out INC Kerala for peddling a false narrative regarding the safety of Indian Railways. They wrote, “Shameless @INCIndia has once again shown its inclination to undermine the central government at any cost, even at the expense of truth and decency. They attempted to politicize a tragic incident resulting in loss of life by distorting the facts. In reality, the fatal incident occurred due to a passenger’s wrongly fastened chain, causing the seat on the upper berth to fall. Despite this, Congress propagated a false narrative that the death was caused by the collapse of the berth, blaming the central government for mismanagement. This disgraceful act by Congress, disrespecting the late Ali Khan and his grieving family, deserves strong condemnation. Our heartfelt condolence go out to the late Ali Khan.”

It is noteworthy that INC Kerala has been in the news either for bullying or spreading false information or for derogating PM Modi and NSA Ajit Doval.

(with inputs from India Today)

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