GUWAHATI: In an incident perhaps not known in the history of Indian Railways, the Assam forest department “seized” a railway engine for mowing down an elephant and her calf last month.
In a surprise “raid”, Divisional Forest Officer Rajib Das went to the Bamunimaidan railway yard in Guwahati on Monday and dramatically, the way the police seize vehicles, conducted the seizure of the locomotive.
The incident had occurred on September 27 in a reserve forest under the railway’s Lumding division. The calf was dragged one kilometre by the engine of the goods train. The pilot and the co-pilot have been already suspended by the railways.
“The elephant is a Schedule 1 animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. We worship it. Trains should travel within 30 km speed through that reserve forest. Its speed was found to be 60 km during an inquiry by the railways,” Das told journalists.
He added: “We seized the locomotive the way the police seize a pistol or a dagger (after an incident of crime). Since the engine was involved in the incident, we seized it”.
Subhanan Chanda, who is the Chief Public Relations Officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway, said the engine was “released” soon after its seizure. He said the train was found to be over-speeding.
“Actually they (forest officials) had come to see the engine. The seizure was kind of paperwork as a part of their inquiry. They seized it and then released it. We are now using it,” Chanda said.
Incidents of jumbos getting killed in train hits are common in Assam. A few years ago, the then Assam Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma had written to railway authorities for curbs on train speed limits at the elephant corridors but there is no letup in the incidents.
The elephants in Assam also get killed in conflicts with human beings. According to official figures, 80 elephants died in conflicts with human beings last year. Some 100 people were also killed.