Bhubaneswar (IANS). People have still not forgotten the pain of the triple train accident that happened a month back in Balasore, Odisha. At least 293 people were killed, and over 1000 were injured in India’s worst train accident in the last three decades. But even today some people are busy in search of their loved ones.
After India’s worst train accident, the families of the passengers started searching for their loved ones. More than 210 people were able to identify the bodies of their family members. Those who found their loved ones in injured condition in hospitals were lucky.
However, even after a month has passed since the incident, many families are still waiting for their next of kin. Ashok Rabidas of West Bengal is one of them. He is waiting for the authorities to allow him to take the body of his younger brother Krishna Rabidas (22).
After wandering from one hospital to another, Ashok Rabidas reached AIIMS Bhubaneswar where bodies of unknown persons have been preserved.
At the same time, to identify the body of his brother Krishna, the AIIMS authority has sent the DNA samples of the concerned body to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, AIIMS Bhubaneswar has received DNA reports of 29 bodies matching those of the other claimants. However, the victim Ashok said that Krishna’s DNA report has not come.
Ashok, a native of Harishchandrapur Tripaltala village in West Bengal’s Malda, was staying here in a guest house provided by the Railways. Since the wait is not over, and he has to return to his work, Ashok leaves for his village four days early. Now his brother Sibcharan Rabidas is waiting in Bhubaneswar for Krishna’s mortal remains.
Sharing his story with IANS, Ashok said that Krishna worked as a daily wage laborer in Bengaluru since July 2022. On June 2, he was returning home by Yesvantpur Howrah Express for his younger sister’s wedding.
He said, “My sister was going to get married on June 12. Now it has been cancelled. After my sister’s marriage, we had planned to get Krishna married. Ashok said, but the accident spoiled everything.
He further said, after the incident my father and mother are completely broken. Worryingly, we have not yet received the body of our brother, due to which nothing is normal in our house.
Similarly, Sibkant Roy of Cooch Behar district of West Bengal is in shock. The body of his son Bipul Roy was taken to another family in Bihar.
Sibkanth Roy said, I was in Arunachal Pradesh when I came to know about the accident. I immediately went home and requested our BDO to arrange a vehicle for me. Roy said, he arranged it and I reached Balasore.
After searching here and there, the father finds Bipul’s picture on a wall among the pictures of all the dead persons. When a stunned Sibkant discovered his son’s body, it was found that someone from Bihar had already taken him away.
After reaching AIIMS Bhubaneswar, I came to know that my son’s body has been taken away by someone else. Roy asked, what should I do now?
Of the 293 people killed in the train accident on the evening of June 2, 81 unidentified bodies have been kept at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, out of which 29 have been identified through DNA tests. Another 52 bodies are yet to be identified.
