Raigad (Maharashtra): At least 12 persons were killed and 30 injured when a passenger train derailed on Konkan Railway route in Maharashtra's Raigad district today.

The accident occurred just outside a tunnel near Nidi village, when the engine and four out of 20 bogies of the Diwa-Sawantwadi passenger train derailed at around 10 am between Nagothane and Roha railway stations, about 120 km from Mumbai.

Rescue operations were going on, the police said, adding that workers were trying to extricate people trapped under bogies that overturned after derailment.

According to Raigad police control room, 12 passengers were killed and 30 injured in the mishap which occurred in a remote area. However, a Railway spokesperson put the death toll at nine.

Ten bodies have been sent to Nagothane primary health centre for postmortem. The bodies are yet to be identified.

Two bodies have been taken to government hospital at Roha for autopsy, the police said.

Following the mishap, services on Konkan Railway route were suspended. 

Last month, too, a goods train derailed on the route, affecting services.

The injured passengers are being rushed to Roha for medical treatment, the police said.

The Railways ordered an inquiry and Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for those killed in the accident, Rs 50,000 for the grievously hurt and Rs 10,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.

Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar said Commissioner, Railway Safety, Chetan Bakshi will conduct the inquiry and has rushed to the site.

The Chairman along with Advisor, Health, B B Agarawal are also visiting the accident site.

The Railways has also started two helplines — Thane: 022-25334840 and Panwel: 022-27468. — PTI

Assam violence: Families refuse to bury the dead
till CM visits them

Salbari (Assam): Demanding that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi visit their area, people of Salbari in Assam’s violence-hit Baksa district on Sunday refused to bury their kin killed in attacks by NDFB-Songbijit militants.

Angry protestors in Nankekhadrabari area on Sunday said they will not perform the last rites of the bodies of the 18 people, including children and women, till Gogoi comes and personally assures to provide security to their lives and property.

“Does our life have no value? We are only demanding that we are protected and we are not attacked and killed in future,” they told reporters.

“The district administration instead of providing violence-hit people security and protection is now threatening to arrest us if we do not perform janaja (last rites) of our dead,” they alleged.

There is no immediate word from official sources about the Chief Minister visiting the area.

Heavily armed NDFB-S militants had gunned down 18 persons on Friday night and torched over 100 houses since the militant outfit started its mayhem against a minority community in the BTAD’s twin districts of Baksa and Kokrajhar from May 1.

Altogether 32 persons were killed in the violence, several others injured and thousands rendered homeless in the two districts.

Meanwhile, indefinite curfew imposed in neighbouring Chirang district of the Bodoland Territorial Administrative District (BTAD) since Friday night was relaxed for six hours from 10 am today, the district administration said. — PTI

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, has ruled out any tie up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in forming government at the Centre. 

Addressing an election rally in Kolkata yesterday, she said, “This will never happen”.

Banerjee said, “Some Congress leaders are spreading rumours that the Trinamool Congress will ally with the BJP after elections. 

West Bengal Congress President Adhir Chowdhury had said that Trinamool will ally with NDA after elections as BJP president Rajnath Singh is promising a "handsome package for the state". 

The West Bengal Chief Minister also criticised a section of the media in the state, which she claimed, is trying to promote the BJP leader Narendra Modi and spreading canards against her party and the government. — ANI

ASANSOL (West Bengal): Complaining of booth rigging in West Bengal, Bihar and western Uttar Pradesh, Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that the Election Commission (EC) was not acting impartially and dared it to take action against him.

"Why are you not acting? What is your intention? If you feel wrong about what I am saying now, then you are free to lodge another case against me," Modi told an election rally here.

"It is your responsibility to ensure impartial polls. I am making very serious allegations," he said, accusing the Election Commission of having failed to take action.

He said poll violence and booth rigging took place in West Bengal, Bihar and western Uttar Pradesh.

"I am putting serious allegations against you. You have failed to stop rigging and violence in these areas. False cases have been filed against our candidate Babul Supriyo. Election Commission's work is to protect people. I request you to fulfil your responsibilities in the right way."

He said that the poll watchdog has all the government machinery at its disposal and has more powers than even the Prime Minister.

"Democracy doesn't work like this, I know that in the elections on 30th, how much rigging took place. Will this game go on?" he asked.

Modi recalled that he had said in Uttar Pradesh also that in some areas problems are going to happen.

"But the Election Commission could do nothing. Today I am saying it again that in Bengal, Bihar and western Uttar Pradesh the same thing is going to happen. Is it not the responsibility of the Election Commission that elections should be peaceful, there should be no rigging, no violence?" he said.

The Election Commission had taken serious note of the Gujarat Chief Minister's violation of the electoral laws, under which no person can display any election matter or address a meeting in a polling booth on the day of election, and an FIR against Modi following its direction.

Modi had told a poll campaign at Tirupati that he had not committed any offence that warranted an FIR and that he only showed a lotus badge to people after casting his vote at Gandhinagar on April 30. Lotus is the symbol of BJP. — PTI

NEW DELHI: The issue of "snoopgate" enquiry allegedly involving BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi ran into trouble today with two UPA constituents — NCP and National Conference — opposing the move to appoint a judge in the "dying hours" of the government.

The Congress, however, declared that there was "no compromise" as the issue involved women of the country.

In a setback to the efforts to name a judge before May 16, when results of the Lok Sabha elections will be out, the NCP and National Conference questioned the move.

"When the results of the Lok Sabha elections are due in two weeks' time, where is the need for such an enquiry," senior NCP leader and Union Minister Praful Patel told PTI.

Striking a similar note, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said if the decision to appoint could not be taken in December, then it was wrong to appoint a judge five months later.

"Was talking to my dad last night and he felt the same way — setting up a commission of inquiry in the dying hours of UPA-2 is just wrong.

"If the decision to appoint a commission was taken in Dec it should have been implemented. To appoint a judge 5 months later is wrong," Omar tweeted.

Patel also said NCP chief Sharad Pawar has talked to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier in the day to convey the party's view in the matter. NCP is the second largest constituent of the Congress-led UPA.

The statements came a day after Law Minister and Congress leader Kapil Sibal insisted that the government planned to go ahead with naming a judge for the enquiry before May 16 before the results are out.

It was alleged that illegal surveillance was carried out on a young woman in Gujarat in 2009 at the behest of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, who was the Home Minister of the state at that time.

Unfazed by the opposition from its two allies, Congress spokesperson and Mahila Congress chief Shoba Oza declared there was "no compromise" on going ahead with the probe as the matter does not involve any political party but women of the country who constitute half of the population. — PTI

KULLU (Himachal Pradesh): Congress president Sonia Gandhi today launched a frontal attack on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for using a martyr's name during his campaign in the state last week.

Criticising Modi, Gandhi said he used the catchword of Kargil martyr Capt Vikram Batra 'Yeh dil maange more (this heart wants more)' only for "the Prime Minister's chair".

Addressing rallies in Himachal Pradesh, he spoke of late Capt Vikram Batra, who was killed in the Kargil conflict, and used a catch phrase associated with him "Yeh dil maange more" to seek votes for his party.

"Unka dil sirf kursi maang rahain hai (Modi's heart wants only the chair)," Gandhi said at an election rally at Kullu in Mandi Parliamentary constituency, adding that it was an insult to martyrs.

Accusing Modi of showing big dreams to the people, Gandhi said in fact, the path chosen by him was that of destruction while Congress has always worked for the welfare and uplift of poor, weak and underprivileged sections of society without any discrimination.

Taking a jibe at the "tone and tenor" of the speeches of Modi, Gandhi said he was speaking as if he had already won the chair of Prime Minister while election results are yet to be declared.

Claiming that Congress believed in peace, harmony and development of all without any discrimination to ensure a life of dignity, she said that "the path being shown by the BJP is path of discrimination and destruction in which there is noting except I".

"Your vote will elect the government," she said and appealed to the people to vote for Congress.

Listing out the achievements of the Congress-led UPA government in the past 10 years, the Congress president said, "Unlike the BJP, we do not make false promises and do what we promise." 

Gandhi said the UPA government gave the Right to Education, introduced midday meal scheme, passed Food Security Act to ensure food to people and brought Right to Information Act which gave a weapon to people helping expose many cases of corruption after which the guilty were punished.

To protect the interests of farmers, the Land Acquisition Act was passed and now the lands of farmers cannot be acquired without their consent and they would be entitled to full compensation, she said.

Gandhi promised free medicines and treatment to poor and pensions to disabled, old age people and destitute.

She said Congress always worked hard to strengthen the basic infrastructure in rural and urban areas and pursued the path of development, prosperity to strengthen the democracy.

Lauding the state government, Gandhi said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his team have done good work in the state and asked the people for their support to continue the "good work". — PTI