Human error, sabotage? Amid multiple theories, probe begins

Amid different theories doing the rounds about the possible reasons for the horrific accident involving three trains near Balasore and the railway ministry maintaining that the exact cause of this unusual crash would be known only after a detailed investigation, one fact stood out — the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express entered a wrong track moments before the pile-up. Via Times of India https://ift.tt/TFREqgY

'Blood, cries, smoke': Survivors of India’s worst train tragedy since 1995 recount horrors

The death toll in the three-train accident at Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore rose to 288 on Saturday and left over 1,000 injured, with a preliminary probe implying human error in the deadliest railway tragedy in 30 years. Search and rescue was called off 18 hours after the accident, and authorities mounted a multi-agency probe to ascertain how a superfast train veered from its original path into the loopline and rear-ended a parked freight train, causing a fatal domino effect. Via Times of India https://ift.tt/TFREqgY

‘Touching not coaching’: 5-year rigourous imprisonment to coach

Refuting the defence of a sports teacher that he had inadvertently touched the girls while coaching, a Pocso court said the act of making a student touch his private parts, taking girls to the sports room and touching their chest wasn’t coaching — it was sexual assault. “...girls were of mature understanding to discern good touch from bad,” the court said. Via Times of India https://ift.tt/iefVBj0

Arrest WFI chief by June 9: Khap meet serves ultimatum to govt

Turning up the heat on Friday, a sarvjatiya khap mahapanchayat held at Kurukshetra served an ultimatum to the government to arrest Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual harassment by the protesting grapplers, and resolve the issue through a dialogue. Via Times of India https://ift.tt/iefVBj0

AK­47s among 140 guns surrendered in Manipur

Following home minister Amit Shah’s appeal on Thursday asking rebels in Manipur to surrender their weapons ahead of a statewide combing exercise, more than 140 weapons — including self-loading rifles, AK-47s and INSAS rifles — were turned in by different groups until Friday morning. Meanwhile, two more people were killed and at least six injured in clashes between Kuki and Meitei communities in the last 24 hours. Via Times of India https://ift.tt/iefVBj0

‘Touching not coaching’: 5-year rigourous imprisonment to coach

Via Times of India https://ift.tt/iefVBj0

Law Commission backs sedition law, govt says not bound by it

The Centre on Friday swiftly distanced itself from the Law Commission’s recommendation to retain sedition as a penal offence, emphasising that the view was not binding on the government which would take a final decision after consulting all stakeholders. The commission, while recommending that Section 124A of IPC, which treats sedition as a criminal offence be retained, called for safeguards and amending the law, which has been prone to misuse. Via Times of India https://ift.tt/iefVBj0