BHUBANESWAR: Leaders and workers of 12 Opposition political parties staged a dharna on Monday in front of East Coast Railway headquarters here demanding the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Bahanaga train mishap which claimed 288 lives and left nearly 1,000 injured.
The Opposition parties also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored SIT probe into the mishap. Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik told media persons the train mishap occurred due to the negligence of railway officials. The railway minister is accountable for the tragedy and should step down on moral grounds, he added.
The parties also demanded compensation of `50 lakh and a job for the next of kin of each person who died in the accident. The BJP, however, said prompt action was taken after the accident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself visited the spot and the CBI was handed over the investigation, state BJP president Manmohan Samal said adding railways has also paid compensation to the families of the victims.