At least eight elephants were killed and a calf was injured after a herd collided with the Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam’s Hojai district, leading to the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches early Saturday. Railway officials confirmed that no passengers were injured in the incident.

Forest department officials said the collision occurred when the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants on the tracks. The impact caused multiple coaches to derail, disrupting rail traffic on the busy route connecting the Northeast with the national capital.

Train services hit, passengers shifted to other coaches

Following the derailment, rail movement towards Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast was affected due to damaged coaches and elephant remains scattered on the tracks. Accident relief trains and senior railway officials rushed to the site to restore services.

Passengers travelling in the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths in other coaches of the same train. Officials said that once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to ensure all passengers can continue their journey.

Collision occurred outside designated elephant corridor

According to officials, the accident took place at a location that is not marked as a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot reportedly applied emergency brakes after spotting the herd on the tracks, but the elephants ran into the train, resulting in the collision and derailment.

Forest authorities confirmed that eight elephants died on the spot, while one injured calf was rescued. Local residents said the herd consisted of around eight elephants at the time of the accident.

Elephant deaths in train accidents remain a concern

The incident comes amid continued concerns over wildlife deaths on railway tracks. Data shared by the Environment Ministry in Parliament earlier showed that at least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across India over the past five years, based on reports from states and Union Territories.

The ministry has said that several preventive steps are being taken in coordination with the Railways, including speed restrictions in elephant habitats, use of sensor-based detection systems, and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable locations. Guidelines and capacity-building programmes have also been introduced to reduce human-animal conflict along railway lines.

Popular comedian and television personality Bharti Singh and her husband, writer-host Haarsh Limbachiyaa, have welcomed their second child. The baby was born on Friday after Bharti was taken to the hospital following a sudden medical emergency earlier in the day, according to media reports.

Emergency during television shoot led to hospitalisation

As per available information, Bharti Singh was scheduled to shoot for the television show Laughter Chefs on Friday morning when her water broke unexpectedly. She was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where she later delivered her second child. No further details about the baby have been shared publicly so far.

The news of the delivery comes weeks after the couple announced Bharti’s second pregnancy on social media.

Pregnancy announcement and maternity shoot

Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa had revealed the pregnancy during a family vacation in Switzerland. A few weeks ago, Bharti also shared pictures from her maternity photoshoot, where she was seen wearing a blue silk gown with white floral patterns.

Sharing the photos online, Bharti wrote, “2nd Baby Limbachiya coming soon,” along with a baby emoji.

Family background

Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa became parents for the first time in 2022, when they welcomed their son, Lakshya.

The couple is among the most well-known faces on Indian television. Bharti is widely recognised for her comic timing and distinctive on-screen persona, while Haarsh has made his mark as a writer and host. Apart from their television work, the two also co-host a podcast together.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has strongly criticised the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), saying the move strips the rural employment programme of its core essence. His remarks came after Parliament cleared the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, also referred to as the VB-G RAM G Bill.

Speaking to media, Tharoor said the decision to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme “takes out the heart” of the rural employment programme that has been in place for years. He noted that the identity and philosophy associated with Mahatma Gandhi were central to the original law.

Tharoor also objected to the way the new name was framed, arguing that it unnecessarily combined multiple languages. He pointed out that the Constitution envisages the use of one language in legislation, while the Bill’s title mixes English and Hindi terms such as “Guarantee”, “Rozgar” and “Ajeevika”, along with the conjunction “and”.

‘Disrespect to both names’

The Congress leader said that inserting the word “Ram” while dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name amounted to disrespecting both. Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas, Tharoor said that for Gandhi, the concepts of Gram Swaraj and Ram Rajya were inseparable, and removing his name from a rural employment law went against that vision.

He added that the name of Lord Ram could be used in many contexts, but questioned the rationale behind excluding Mahatma Gandhi from a programme closely linked to his philosophy of village self-rule.

Protests over passage of the Bill

The VB-G RAM G Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 18 and cleared by the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of December 19 amid protests from Opposition members. Several MPs opposed the manner in which the legislation was pushed through, with scenes of sloganeering and tearing of papers in the House.

Outside Parliament, members of the Trinamool Congress staged a sit-in protest near Samvidhan Sadan against the passage of the Bill. Congress also announced nationwide protests earlier this week, accusing the government of weakening rights-based welfare schemes.

Despite opposition criticism, the government has maintained that the new law will strengthen rural employment and livelihood security. The Bill raises the guaranteed employment from 100 days to 125 days per rural household and outlines a 60:40 cost-sharing formula between the Centre and states, with a higher central share for northeastern, Himalayan states and certain Union Territories.