Assam Officials Have Just Seized A Train Engine For 'Murdering' Elephants

Assam forest officials, seized the engine of a goods train for mowing down an elephant mother and a calf. The accident happened inside the Lumding Reserve Forest in Hojai district of the state on the intervening night of September 26 and September 27.

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Now, almost three weeks later, forest officials have claimed that the train was seized as it surpassed the speed limit of 40 km per hour. "Our caution order was violated as the train speed was high," Pulak Kumar Choudhury, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) from Hojai district said.

Train running above speed limit of 40 KMPH

An internal inquiry by railways has revealed that the train was running at around 60 km per and that the impact of the accident was such that the one-year-old calf was dragged for nearly a kilometre (km) before the engine came to a grinding halt.

¡°The department shall not fail to take a tough stand against the Railways. The killing of elephants on tracks must stop forthwith,¡± Assam environment and forests minister Parimal Suklabaidya said.

The accident took place near Pathorkhola railway station, when the elephants were trying to cross the railway tracks.

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"This is probably the first such instance in the country, when a railway locomotive has been seized in connection with death on train tracks," said MK Yadava chief wildlife warden, Assam.

On Tuesday, forest officials seized the engine from the Banunimaidan locomotive shed of North-eastern Frontier Railway (NFR) in Guwahati. Earlier, the loco pilot and his assistant were suspended by the railways after an internal inquiry.

The Indian wild elephant (Elephas maximus) is a Schedule-I animal under the entry 12-B of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Therefore, a forest offence has been listed against railway officers and employees of the railway authority under wild elephants, which is an offence under Section 9 of the said act and punishable under Sec 51 of the act, for onward necessary action.