BENGALURU: The gory tragedy played out on Tuesday evening in Bengaluru railway division, when a herd of 46 goat and sheep was run over by an express train moving from Bengaluru towards Tumakuru. The mishap is said to have occurred between 4pm and 5pm, between Nidvanda and Dobbespet railway stations. According to a senior railway official, “Visibility was low and there was a drizzle. A shepherd who was grazing them did not see the approaching train. The animals trespassed the railway tracks and died on the spot. The shepherd had taken a break and was at a tea shop nearby, when the animals walked on to the track and got hit.”
The incident happened 2km from Nidvanda station, where the train takes a left turn to head towards Hassan, instead of going towards Dobbespet. “Since it was at the curve, the loco pilot could not have noticed it,” the source added.
The information was not conveyed to the local station manager on Tuesday. “A level crossing gate staffer who reported for duty in the morning (Wednesday) noticed it and conveyed it to staffers at Nidvanda railway station. No one knows how the accident happened,” said a railway official.
Senior railway officials had no clue which train had hit the animals. A top railway official ruled out the possibility of overspeeding by the loco pilot. “It was a clear case of trespass by the shepherd. Loco pilots run only at permitted section speed here,” he added.
In a video accessed by this reporter, the Railway pointsman was being manhandled by an irate crowd which held him responsible for the accident, while a few were trying to carry away the carcasses for consumption.