India News LIVE: Ashwini Vaishnaw returns to Delhi from accident site in Odisha

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and health minister Mansukh Mandaviya landed in Delhi after the rescue operations and restoration of the railway line at the Balasore train accident site were complete. 

#WATCH | Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav return to Delhi after rescue operations and restoration of the railway line at the Balasore train accident site pic.twitter.com/WaT8MdcPb3

— ANI (@ANI)

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has dared the ED to arrest him or his wife. His wife Ruchira Banerjee has been summoned by ED and asked to appear before the agency within two days. Her name cropped up during a probe into a multi-crore West Bengal coal scam case. Tap here to read more. 

The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Cuttack has registered an FIR under sections 153, 154 and 175 of the Railway Act against unknown persons in the Balasore train accident. The complaint was registered following a complaint by SI Papu Kumar Naik of Balasore GRPS.

Upon his return from Odisha after the horrific railway accident, which killed 275 passengers and left over 1000 injured, Railway Board Chairman, AK Lahoti on Monday evening briefed top officials in the Prime Minister’s Office on the update on the ground, including the ongoing investigation.

“Chairperson of the Railway Board will be meeting top officials in the Prime Minister’s office, including the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister about the details from the ground,” sources told ANI.

(With agency inputs)

A toll operator named Pavan Kumar died after he was beaten to death with hockey sticks on the night of June 4 at the on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Express Highway toll plaza. Pavan (26) was a resident of Karaikal tanda of Bengaluru South taluk, who had an argument with the attackers. According to sources, an argument broke out at the Ramnagara toll plaza between the employee and the miscreants who were travelling in a car. Tap here to read more. 

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya attacked Rahul Gandhi's aide and Congress leader Sam Pitroda for allegedly supporting 'Hinduphobia' and 'berating' India in a foreign land. He also fact-checked Pitroda on inflation and unemployment which the Congress leader said is not being talked about in India. 

Sam Pitroda, an associate of Rajiv Gandhi, is as clueless as vicious. He can baby sit his colleague’s overgrown son but need not berate India, of which he has no clue…

For instance, retail inflation in India is down to 4.7% in April 2023, lowest in 18 months. Wholesale… pic.twitter.com/XhLzUpCOOQ

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya)

The Railway Board has launched a safety drive to 'super check' signalling systems in all 19 zones of the Indian Railways. All station managers have been asked to check and recheck the control panel room, signal room and relay cabin.

Following the decision to resume services in Railways, Sakshi Malik took to Twitter and wrote, "This news is completely wrong. In the fight for justice, none of us has backed down, nor will we. Along with Satyagraha, I am fulfilling my responsibility in Railways. Our fight continues till justice is served. Please don't spread any wrong news." 

After Sakshi Malik, wrestler Bajrang Punia has also pulled out from the ongoing wrestler's protest that started in January this year against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Shara Singh. The wrestlers accused Singh of sexually harassing female wrestlers.  

In no relief to Manish Sisodia, Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant interim bail to the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi. However, the court has allowed Sisodia to meet his wife at home or hospital. The High Court has said that Sisodia can meet his wife at home or in the hospital in the presence of the police.

Sisodia will be able to meet his wife in police custody from 10 am to 5 pm.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi and said, "Great to meet again with my friend Rajnath Singh and thank him for his unwavering commitment to US-India defence relations. His leadership has helped paved the way for deeper collaboration, joint exercises, and technology sharing between our two countries."

Indian wrestler Sakshi has called off her month-long protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh after reportedly meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. According to reports, Sakshi will also resume work with her employer - Indian Railways. Note, Sakshee was one of the frontrunners in the wrestlers' protest along with Olympian Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat. The wrestlers had been protesting for more than a month now, demanding action against Singh. Read More

Bahanaga Assistant station master was quizzed for at least six hours as the Railway safety commission probe is underway.

#LIVE: Odisha Train Tragedy | Bahanaga Assistant station master quizzed for 6 hours as Railway safety commission probe underway.

Republic's Niranjan Narayanaswamy brings this report from Balasore, Odisha.

Tune in to WATCH-https://t.co/6CjsNJ9CEq pic.twitter.com/F3QY2HCfm3

— Republic (@republic)

"All 9 teams of NDRF who were working in Odisha's Balasore have been withdrawn," says Narendra Singh Bundela, IG, NDRF.

#WATCH | "All 9 teams of NDRF who were working in Odisha's Balasore have been withdrawn," says Narendra Singh Bundela, IG, NDRF pic.twitter.com/bVFtHGv5By

— ANI (@ANI)

The opposition meeting that was to be held on June 12 has been postponed. Heads of all political parties were supposed to come to the meeting. "Revealing it's not right if any other representative will come. So, we've asked the Congress party that the head of the party should come. The new date of the meeting will be announced later. 

In what appears to be a high-voltage drama, the wife of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee was stopped at Kolkata airport. As per the information accessed by Republic TV. Rujira Banerjee has been stopped from leaving India. A look-out circular has been issued against her 

A crack was noticed by C&W staff in the S3 coach of train No 16102 (Chennai Egmore Express) while entering Sengottai station in Tamil Nadu. Railway officials immediately detached the coach and accommodated the passengers in other coaches after which the train left at 4:40 pm. The staff who detected the crack will be appreciated for vigil watch and awarded by Divisional Railway Manager, Madurai Division on Monday, informed the Southern Railway. 

In efforts to enhance the defense cooperation between India and the US, the Defence Secretary of the United States Lloyd Austin received the Guard of Honour on Monday. The US Defence Secretary is on a two-day visit to India. 

#BREAKING | U.S Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin receives guard of honor as he arrives in National Capital.#LloydAustin #NationalCapital #USDefenceSecretary https://t.co/6CjsNJ9CEq pic.twitter.com/1PvNectuu1

— Republic (@republic)

Hours after the bridge collapse occurred in Bihar, a person working as a guard with SP Singla Company is said to be missing. His body has not been recovered yet. A search by SDRF and NDRF teams is underway to trace him, Parbatta Circle Officer Chandan Kumar informed. 

Sparking a massive controversy, Karnataka's Minister of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, K Venkatesh, on Saturday said that if buffaloes can be slaughtered, what is wrong with slaughtering cows? The minister's comments came while he was referring to the challenges faced by farmers with maintaining old animals and disposing of the dead. 

Following the minister's statement, former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that Indians are emotionally connected with cows and worship them as a mother. "Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh's statement is shocking. We condemn his statement. We Indians have an emotional connection with the cow and worship them as mother," Bommai tweeted. 

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw got emotional while speaking about the incident at the Balasore accident site after taking stock of the situation. He stated that even after the normalisation of the train movement the responsibility is not over yet as the missing people need to meet their family members. Read More

#WATCH | Bihar: Latest visuals from the spot in Bhagalpur where under construction Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge collapsed for the second time yesterday pic.twitter.com/c76IMqNZai

— ANI (@ANI)

#WATCH | Indian Railways has started running passenger trains on the tracks which were affected due to #TrainAccident in Odisha’s Balasore pic.twitter.com/E9NTCv1ieO

— ANI (@ANI)

The first train on the section where the accident happened in Balasore started its journey at around 10.40 pm on Sunday, 51 hours after the horrific crash which killed 275 people, officials said. The goods train was seen off by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw as scores of mediapersons and railway officials looked on, per PTI report.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Train movement was resumed on the Balasore's tracks on the night of June 4 after the completion of restoration work. 

#WATCH | Odisha: Latest visuals from the spot where the deadly #BalasoreTrainTragedy took place.

After the completion of restoration work, train movement was resumed yesterday night pic.twitter.com/Q6AytOaTo2

— ANI (@ANI)

Launching an attack on the Indian government over the recent train tragedy that occurred in Odisha's Balasore, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on a 10-day visit to the United States (US), said, "I remember a train accident when the Congress party was in power. Congress did not get up and say that the train crashed because of the fault of the British. Congress minister said, 'It's my responsibility and I'm resigning.' So this is the problem we have back home, we make excuses and not accepting the reality." 

#WATCH | I remember a train accident when the Congress party was in power. Congress did not get up and say that the train crashed because of the fault of the British. Congress minister said, "It's my responsibility and I'm resigning". So this is the problem we have back home, we… pic.twitter.com/2KrMxGYj1k

— ANI (@ANI)

In a major breakthrough against narcotic smuggling along border areas, Border Security Force (BSF) brought down a Pakistani drone in Amritsar district's Attari. Heroin weighing 3.2 kg (appx) was also recovered from the drone. 

The Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bhagalpur collapsed for the second time on Sunday, June 4. The incident is said to have occurred after three pillars of the under-construction bridge collapsed causing the entire bridge portion to collapse into the river Ganga on Sunday. 

#WATCH | Bihar: Latest visuals from the spot where under construction Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bhagalpur collapsed for the second time pic.twitter.com/pivnuwVVXy

— ANI (@ANI)

"Initially we thought it was a blast. Later we understood that the bridge had collapsed. This shows the corruption in the government. This is not the first time, this state govt is corrupted. There should be a probe," Rakesh Kumar, an eye witness was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.