Twitter user ‘flagged’ danger at Delhi railway station 5 days before derailment

A Twitter user has claimed he had warned the railway ministry about a potential mishap at Delhi’s Shivaji Bridge, five days before the Ranchi Rajdhani express derailed near the station on Thursday.

Rakesk Kumar Kaushik tweeted a photograph to @RailMinIndia on September 2, drawing its attention to a damaged portion of a railway track near the station. Kaushik tweeted at 10.47am and got @RailMinIndia’s response in 25 minutes. The ministry’s tweet asked Delhi Division of the Northern Railway to “look into the matter”.

DRM Delhi then forwarded the complaint to @srden-cdli for necessary action. However, there was no reply to the tweet.

Besides the derailment of Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express barely 200 metres away from New Delhi station, two more train mishaps took place on Thursday. Those involved in rescue operation said that a crack on the rail could have triggered the accident. The Railways, however, has brushed aside the allegations and claim that only a proper investigation will ascertain the cause.

Twitter users who spotted the tweet have criticized the Railways for the ‘criminal negligence’ and called for action against the officials.