Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday slammed the Centre over the rail accident in Tamil Nadu, saying no lessons have been learnt despite many lives lost in numerous accidents and asked how many more families must be destroyed before the government wakes up.

Gandhi said in a post on X that the Mysuru-Darbhanga train accident mirrors the horrific Balasore accident, in which a passenger train collided with a stationary goods train. 

“Despite many lives lost in numerous accidents, no lessons are learned. Accountability starts at the top. How many more families must be destroyed before this government wakes up,” the Rae Bareli MP said.

According to reports, the Mysuru-Darbhanga Express, traveling at 75 mph, hit a stationary goods train on Friday in Tamil Nadu as it entered a loop line instead of the main line. At least 19 passengers were injured, and a coach caught fire.

Railway Safety Commissioner of Southern Circle, Anant Madhukar Chowdhary, inspected the Kavarapettai accident site where train no. 12578 Mysuru-Darbhanga Express had a rear collision with a goods train on Friday evening.

Hitting out at the Centre over the rail accident, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: “Train accidents have become so common in the country that despite occurring one after another, neither any accountability is being fixed by the government nor any action is being taken.”

“Crores of common people of the country are forced to travel in trains running on the wheels of fear and chaos, risking their lives because the government has turned its back on the responsibility of safe train travel,” Priyanka said in a post on her WhatsApp channel.

Once again, an accident like Balasore has happened with the Mysore-Darbhanga Express in Tamil Nadu, she asserted. “When will this series going on for months stop? When will accountability be fixed,” she asked.

The Railway Board has confirmed that there have been no casualties reported so far in the passenger-freight train collision in the Ponneri-Kavarapettai section in Chennai Rail Division.

Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity at the Railway Board, released a video message shortly after the accident, stating, “We received information about the collision of the Bagmati Express with a freight train at the Kavarapettai station in the Chennai Division. The rescue and relief teams reached the accident site immediately.”

A 16-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly raped by a man in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh has died during treatment at a hospital, police said on Friday.

Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Sanjay Rai said the teenager was held hostage and raped on Sunday last week.

“The accused tied her hands and mouth and left her in a millet field in a seriously injured state. She was admitted to the SRN Hospital in Prayagraj where she was undergoing treatment and passed away last evening,” Rai said.

On the complaint of the victim’s mother, the police had registered a case against accused Anil Gupta under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, he said.

The 22-year-old accused was arrested on Monday after a gunfight with the police, they said. Murder charges have also been added to the case, police added. The body was returned to family after conducting the post-mortem, PTI reported.

In another incident from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi in November last year, a 19-year-old woman was hacked to death in broad daylight by two brothers, including the man accused of raping her.

According to reports, the woman butchered with an axe on the main road as scared villagers watched helplessly. Pawan Nishad was accused of raping her three years ago, when she was a minor. Reports said that Pawan and his associates had been harassing the woman, since then, to get her to drop the case lodged against him.

Pawan’s brother, Ashok Nishad, was an accused in a separate murder case and was released less than two days before the young woman’s murder. The officials explained that Pawan was out of jail by this time and the two plotted to confront the woman’s family and force them to close the case.

The BJP on Friday claimed the Opposition bloc INDIA is considering making the Leader of the Opposition’s post in the Lok Sabha rotational and asserted they should go ahead with such a decision if they feel Rahul Gandhi is not able to fulfill his responsibility with dedication.

Gandhi was appointed as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha with the Congress being the single largest Opposition party in the House. According to rules, only an MP from the single largest party in the Opposition with at least 10 per cent seats can be appointed as the LoP.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said many leaders in the Opposition parties are capable of handling the work of the Leader of Opposition. However, she clarified that it is up to them to decide as it is their internal matter.

Her comments came amid the buzz over the Opposition parties considering making the Leader of Opposition’s post rotational in the Lower House.

“Yes, absolutely. I have also heard that there is talk of making the post of Leader of Opposition rotational. But I would politely say that this is an internal matter of the Opposition,” Swaraj told the press while replying to the media query.

“Yes, there are definitely many leaders in the Opposition parties who are quite capable of fulfilling the responsibility of the Leader of Opposition. If the INDI Alliance feels that Rahul Gandhi is not able to fulfill his responsibility with complete dedication, they should take such a decision,” she added.

Former Lok Sabha Secretary General PDT Achary, replying to PTI on a question if the Leader of Opposition’s post can be made rotational, said only an MP from the single largest Opposition party in the House can be appointed as the LoP.

The person whom the single largest opposition party wants to be appointed as the LoP is chosen by it only, he said. “Neither the government nor the Speaker have any role to play in it,” Acharya said.

The Speaker only recognises a person as the LoP in the Lok Sabha whose name is forwarded by the single largest Opposition party, he added.