The Trinamool on Saturday alleged that three people who died after being hit by a moving local train were travelling to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Taherpur in Bengal’s Nadia district amid dense fog.
Modi addressed the rally in virtual mode after dense fog prevented his helicopter from landing at the venue and forced it to return to Calcutta airport.
The Trinamool claimed that people were brought from other districts for the prime minister’s rally and that a few men from the group were run over by a local train while they had stepped out to attend nature’s call near the railway tracks.
In a post on X, the TMC said: "Modi’s rally standing on the dead bodies of the people of Bengal!
"People were brought in from other districts, herded like sheep and cattle for Narendra Modi’s rally, with no safety protocols, no crowd management, and no concern for human life. And the inevitable happened."
Referring to the incident near Taherpur railway station, the party added, "In the wee hours of the morning, near Taherpur Railway Station, several men were run over by Train No. 31814 (Krishnanagar–Sealdah Local). Three people are dead and more are battling for survival at Krishnanagar Hospital. They paid with their lives to feed the ego of ONE MAN and the vanity of ONE PARTY."
The TMC alleged, "This is exactly what BJP’s politics stands for. If gambling with ordinary lives helps them inflate numbers, create spectacle, and dominate headlines, they will do it without hesitation. And this is not a first. Time and again, BJP has played fast and loose with people’s lives. Everywhere they go, they leave behind death and devastation."
Holding the prime minister directly responsible, the party said, "And the blood trail leads straight to Delhi. Responsibility begins at the very top. If the “Pradhan Sevak” cannot even ensure that a political rally does not turn into a killing field, then the minimum owed to the nation is an official apology, and resignation from office."
TMC MP Mahua Moitra also weighed in, posting on X, "Terrible tragedy hushed up at altar of PM Narendra Modi ego. BJP supporters brought from far Murshidabad for PM Rally in Ranaghat today. Rally next to rail line. 4 went to answer nature’s call & were killed by 31814 Dn local train near Taherpur. BJP ignored, blacked out & went ahead with rally."
The Eastern Railway official told PTI that the incident occurred in the morning when these people, who were travelling by a bus, had stopped the vehicle and walked to the railway tracks to answer nature's call.
"While three persons died on the spot, two others with injuries were admitted to a local hospital," he said.
Another person with minor injuries was released after having been administered first aid, the official said. He added that owing to heavy fog in the morning, they could not see the oncoming train.
Prime Minister Modi had reached Kolkata at around 10.40am and was flown by helicopter to Taherpur, where he was scheduled to inaugurate national highway projects in West Bengal, followed by the BJP’s political rally titled Parivartan Sankalpa Sabha.
The chopper made a U-turn due to dense fog after hovering over the makeshift helipad ground for some time, an official said.
Officials later made arrangements to convert Calcutta airport’s VIP lounge into a space from where the prime minister could address the waiting crowd virtually, as reaching the rally venue in Nadia district by road was likely to cause major delays and disrupt his itinerary.
Modi condoled the death of the “BJP workers” in his virtual address from Kolkata airport.
“I have come to know that some BJP workers, while travelling to the rally, lost their lives in a rail accident. My condolences are with the families of those who have lost their loved ones, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi said.
Modi is scheduled to reach Guwahati later in the day for a two-day visit to Assam, where he is slated to attend multiple programmes.
At the Taherpur rally ground, chaos broke out as the swelling crowd lost patience and attempted to enter the venue, which had already reached full capacity.
The district police and administration struggled to manage the situation after one of the VIP entrances was broken and barricades were breached.