Patna-Indore Express train accident in India: Over 115 killed and over 200 injured!

Patna-Indore Express train accident in India: Over 115 killed and over 200 injured!
-Dr. Abdul Ruff
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Over 115 passengers were killed and more than 200 injured, nearly half of them grievously, in the worst train accident in recent years when 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed in Kanpur rural area in the wee hours on Sunday due to suspected rail fracture.

The disaster took place just a little after 0300 hrs when the passengers were jolted out of their sleep as the Patna-bound train jumped the tracks, badly damaging four ordinary sleeper coaches in which hundreds were trapped. Of the four coaches, the S1 and S2 had telescoped into each other and most of the casualties were feared to have been in these two compartments. S3 and S4 coaches also suffered severe damage while an AC III tier coach was also affected but casualties in it were not heavy. As railway personnel assisted by those of army, NDRF and state police carried out the search and rescue operation, the number of casualties kept on increasing by the hour.

The incident took place at 3 AM near Pukhrayan, about 100 kms from Kanpur. Most of the passengers were jolted out of their sleep to find themselves among mangled remains of the bogies.

By evening, 110 bodies were recovered and taken to Mati mortuary in Kanpur rural. The death toll is over 115, UP DGP Javeed Ahmad said. Among the dead, 43 have been identified, of which 20 are from Uttar Pradesh, 15 from Madhya Pradesh and six from Bihar and one each from Maharashtra and Gujarat. Post mortem of 27 identified bodies has been done and they were being handed over to the families. Ambulance facilities were also being provided to the families of the victims to transport the bodies, officials said. “Over 150 injured people have been rushed to nearby hospitals in the area. All hospitals have been asked to be alert. More than 30 ambulances have been pressed into service,” they said.

Officials said that prima facie the cause of the accident could be due to track fracture. Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha told reporters at the spot that it seems the cause of the accident is rail fracture. Member (Engineering) of the Railway Board will find out the cause of the mishap and action will be taken against those responsible, he said. With several passengers feared trapped, rescue personnel employed cold cutters to break open the compartments as gas cutters produced excessive heat and suffocation hampering their efforts.

A number of trapped passengers were rescued. Teams of army doctors, railway officials and personnel of NDRF, state PAC and other policemen were involved in carrying out rescue and relief operation. The Chief Minister instructed the DGP to personally monitor the relief operations and deploy traffic police along the route of the mishap site to ensure green corridor for ambulances to reach hospitals quickly.

More ambulances/roadways buses have been rushed to the spot for speedy relief operations, the CM said. DG Health and ADG (Law and Order) also rushed to the accident spot to monitor the relief operations. Buses were pressed into service to help passengers complete their journey, Kumar said.

A team of Army doctors and rescue officials have arrived at the spot. 250 police officials are also involved in carrying out the rescue and relief operations. Five NDRF teams were deployed to rescue passengers trapped in the mangled bogies of the train even as the Home Minister gave instructions to the force’s chief, R K Pachnanda. Prabhu has ordered a probe into the train tragedy and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3.5 lakh for the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those grievously injured.

North Central Railway General Manager Arun Srivastava said traffic on Kanpur-Jhansi section will be opened in 36 hours. NDRF Director General RK Pachnanda told PTI that a total of five teams of the special rescue force, comprising 45 personnel each, were pressed into action at the accident site. “The rescue teams are deploying cutters and hydraulic equipment to ensure that all the trapped passengers are evacuated safely from the rail bogies,” the DG, who reached the accident site, said. “As the victims are trapped inside the bogies, due care and diligence is being taken into consideration,” he said. NDRF responders were making all possible efforts to rescue the trapped victims with the help of multi-types of latest disaster management gadgets and tools. NDRF rescued at least 53 passengers including 16 badly trapped from the bogies. Among them were two children. Some additional teams are also put on standby and shall be mobilized as per demand,” the force said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the train tragedy. He said Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu is personally monitoring the situation and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured in the mishap from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Modi observed two-minute silence to condole the loss of lives at the Rail Vikas Shivir at Surajkund on the outskirts of the national capital asking the railways to work toward achieving the zero accident target to make train journeys safe. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed deep pain over the loss of lives. He said there will be an inquiry into the incident to find out the detail cause of it. Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered a probe into the train tragedy and announced ex-gratia for the families of the victims. Rs 3.5 lakh exgratia will be given for the families of those killed in the derailment and Rs 50,000 for those grievously injured, Prabhu said the Commissioner of Railway Safety will probe the reasons behind the derailment. “All rescue and relief work is on to deal with the unfortunate accident. All medical and other help rushed. Inquiry ordered. Situation monitored closely,” Prabhu said.

President Pranab Mukherjee, and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi led the nation in condoling the train tragedy in UP’s Kanpur Dehat. Sonia asked the local Congress unit to assist in the relief and rescue operations along with the authorities. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh will be paid to next of kin of the deceased.”I am sad to learn about the accident in which many have lost their lives and a number of persons are injured. I am sure that the state government is providing all possible assistance to the bereaved families as well as medical aid to the injured,” Mukherjee said in a message to Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar cancelled a function to release a report card of his government on completion of one year in office and expressed grief over the mishap. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed condolence to the bereaved families.

The railways have given helpline numbers for anyone seeking information about their people lost life or badly injured, etc.

Speaking on the occasion of launch of “US-India State and Urban Initiative” by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a top American think-tank, Biswal stressed on building state to state relationships. “India is the best place in the world to invest in renewable energy. But the regulatory environment and all the issues related to financing will have to be resolved for that to happen,” he asserted.

Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav criticised the working of Modi government by saying that instead of ensuring safety of passengers, they wasted “Rs 1 Lacs Cr in headline grabbing but loss making bullet trains.” For last 30 months, I have written many letters to PM requesting him to accord priority to safety & core operating performance of Railways. Rather than investing 1 Lacs Cr. in headline grabbing but loss making bullet trains, first, Modi Govt must look after Safety & Security measures. During my tenure all arrears of replacement were fully liquidated & adequate provisions were made based on actual requirements rather than residual basis”.

This tragedy has occurred soon after the bad news for India arrived about the shock defeat of Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, a top Indian born American official Nisha Desai Biswal has said Indo-US ties are so broad and dynamic that pulling back on any aspect will not be in the interest of anyone, while observing that the next administration may want to add their own new areas of focus in the bilateral relationship. “India-US relations will have to move beyond government to government. India-US relations are global, but they should also be local,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Biswal told a Washington audience.

`State of Palestine is likely to become reality under Trump!

`State of Palestine is likely to become reality under Trump!
-Dr. Abdul Ruff
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Humanity scurvies on hopes!

With a new regime in place in USA, hopes are indeed very about the feasibility of establishment of much delayed Palestine state whose lands Israel occupies with US baking. Now all eyes are on the progress and process of establishing Palestine state.

Palestinians have, after a great deal of collective suffering under the Zionist military brutality for years, achieved last year their first objective of becoming a defacto member of UN which is indeed the most positive event in life of humanity in recent years. Notwithstanding all strenuous efforts by Israel, Mossad and American Jewish lobbyist lords, including those in Neocons that made the White House stand solid behind Zionist criminal regime brutally targeting the besieged Palestinians, PLO (PA) has managed to win the UN membership, though without any voting power but of course would also be realized sooner than later.

After a somewhat neutralist twist in Obama era without any sincere concern for the plight of people of Palestine, world expects a totally positive approach from the new Trump government that replaces a Zionist regime effectively controlled by Hillary and Neocons, totally committed to the cause of expansionist  Israeli genocides inside Palestine.

As it stands, Palestine is a UN member as a state under occupation. President Obama did not make any effort to make Palestine a soverign state mainly because a prominent Zionist American Hillary Clinton, swearing by Zionist expansionist ideology, did not let that happen. Palestinians continued to suffer as Israel began targeting civilians, children and women in Gaza Strip which it wants to reoccupy.  Yet neither Obama nor Hillary has any sympathy for the Palestinian children getting killed by Zionist military. All that seemed worrying them is the slow progress in the Zionist expansionist criminal operations inside Palestine.  Obama has added more money and terror goods, technology to Israeli system, making it remain the formidable military plus nuclear power of West Asia.

With President-elect Donald Trump seeking peace in Mideast, Netanyahu wants to start out on the right foot during a meeting with President Trump that could take place at the end of March 2017 when this hawk speaks at the annual conference of powerful Jews the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He has instructed his diplomatic right-hand man (lawyer Yitzhak Molcho), the Israeli National Security Council and the Foreign Ministry to prepare policy papers for such a meeting in the Oval Office. In addition, the Israeli Embassy in Washington has been talking to Trump’s advisers and with new senators of both parties in order to prepare the encounter.

 

Zionist expansionist terrorism

 

And Israel thrives at the cost of Palestinians, due to foolishness and arrogance of US presidents.  The joint US-Israeli arrogance is the cause for the continuous suffering of the besieged Palestinians whose lands are being under brutal control of joint terror blockades of Israel-Egyptian regimes.
In fact, Israel opposes world peace, it does not seek peace with Palestinians, it has no idea about a peace deal with Palestine which would eventually deny and end aggression and genocides, it still wants to continue brutal occupation and crimes against humanity. It however talks about direct bogus talks with Palestinians to impress the western powers in order to get military and technology aid.

Not happy with foreign powers taking interest in Mideast peace, Israel has rejected taking part in an international peace conference advocated by France. On Nov. 7, Jacob Nagel, Israel’s national security adviser, told French peace envoy Pierre Vimont that Israel would not participate in any international conference, considering such a forum an international diktat. It wants only the support for its brutalities in Palestine and Mideast.  Israel instead claims it wants only direct but bogus talks with the Palestinians in order to prolong occupational crimes.
One of the reasons Israelis were so involved in this election campaign was undoubtedly is the fear that if Hillary loses that won’t be in its terror interests and also the knowledge that the results would have far-reaching political and diplomatic ramifications for Israel. When most commentators and polls in the United States predicted an almost certain victory for Clinton, the Israeli media focused on the anticipated implications for Netanyahu’s right-wing government. Obviously, Trump’s victory has upset Israeli calculations.

Israel does not distinguish among US presidents in terms of support for Zionist fascism and fanaticism and has taken their support for granted. The climax came when Trump became the “messiah” of the Israeli right based on his election promises — to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem, for instance. No one in Israel has the slightest idea whether the 45th president of the USA will show any interest whatsoever in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, if he will also turn a blind eye to construction in the settlements or decide to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem. Israel is damns sure it can play the new president as well as it wants.

However, many in Israel and USA think Trump cannot be different towards Israel and he would also let Israel continue with its expansionist and genocide policies.  Tel Aviv pins all hopes on US/NATO wars in Arab/Islamic world so that its occupational infrastructure is intact in Palestine and can continue to slaughter the Palestinians at will.
Earlier, Israel had not attached importance to US poll for too long after the Zionist state came into being. Until 2012, Israelis showed no exceptional interest in the US election but now the issue of illegal settlements has made Israeli leaders nervous as a new hawk takes power in Washington.  Jews realized that the social changes, making  political changes, in Israel’s strongest and most important ally USA would impact them directly too. However, a smart US educated Netanyahu did not repeat his 2012 mistake and made a point of staying out of the election — publicly and officially , at least — the “historic” taboo had already been shattered.

Although the Zionist leaders “proudly” say now that the two state solution option is gone with the election of Trump, Israelis do reel from US election as their favorite candidate Hillary Clinton bite the dust at the dustings. On the night the votes were being counted, the heated, emotional debates that erupted between Israelis watching the American drama unfold made it seem as though the election was for the Israeli Knesset, not the White House. Israel’s leading journalists could not hide their shock and disappointment at Democrat Hillary Clinton’s defeat.

Obama continues with Zionist US policy

President Obama inherited entire legacy of previous presidents in policies and   practices especially in Mideast. He extended terror wars to Libya and added more troops to Afghanistan. Obama accelerated terror wars of Bushdom, killed thousands of Muslims in Mideast and added more terror goods to Israel.

Israel and Trump’s pro-Israel supporters are already sending signals to Obama to forgo any kind of action at the United Nations. International political observers are worried that the newly elected US president might, on instruction from Israeli regime cum Jewish US lobbyists, abandon the Middle East or alternatively make extremist decisions. Israel has been pushing Washington to h as enacting his campaign promise to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in Palestine.

For the skeptics, Obama making a controversial decision on the Middle East conflict would not be easy even though freed, as he is, from election shackles. There are skeptics who think he will not have the courage to make a bold decision as a lame duck in the White House.

Like India occupies Jammu Kashmir on the falsified strength of a possible fake document, Israel also takes all precautions to see noting obstructs the brutal occupation of neighboring nation Palestine without even fake documents. USA, UNSC and NATO are the strength of  the Israeli regime, its fascism

The usual ploy of “anti-Semitism” tricks won’t work any longer

 

Israel lectures US presidents

 

Occasionally one gets the feeling if Israel controls US president.

For too long USA has pursued not just pro-Israeli policies but also let itself controlled by Israel in policy matters. Israeli relations received a setback during the Obama era although he also   provided sumptuous aid in cash and arms and technology to appease hardcore Zionists in USA and Israel. Israeli leader address the US Congress and deliver advises to Americans.

Israeli hardline PM Benjamin Netanyahu has actively and discretely begun preparing for his first meeting with the next US president. He is counting the days until the end of President Barack Obama’s presidency. Their relationship was in trouble beginning with their first meeting, when Netanyahu tried in vain to convince Obama about the legitimacy of the settlements, to the unprecedented clash between the two leaders when Netanyahu took sides with the Republicans in Congress on the Iran deal.

During his forthcoming meeting with President Trump, Netanyahu would tell Trump that Palestinian cause problems for USA and regional peace cannot be solved by making Palestine an independent nation. He wishes to remove the resolution of the Palestinian issue from the list of elements necessary for regional stability and convince the new president that fundamentalist terror is the root problem of the region (and for world stability for that matter). Netanyahu will argue that the Islamic State, Hezbollah and Hamas are the real enemies of both Israel and pragmatic Arab countries. Thus, the region should align around the battle against Iranian-sponsored terror, not the Palestinian statehood issue.

Hawk Netanyahu as usual is eager to give along lecture to Trump on international politics with special reference to Mideast of which he as Israeli PM claims to be an expert, and intends to persuade the new president to cooperate closely with Israel on Iranian compliance with the agreement. He will encourage American deterrence against Iran’s long-range missile development and the sponsoring of regional and international terrorism. American sanctions against Tehran must therefore remain a realistic option

Netanyahu blames it all on the personality of the outgoing president, and he does not perceive this as a result of a fundamental interest clash between the two countries. Netanyahu, said the official, believes he can get along well with Trump.

In Washington, Netanyahu will not allow President Trump discuss Palestine issue or Israeli genocides.  He obviously would make the case for fighting terror first and addressing Palestinians last, office and the Israeli Embassy are preparing for a media blitz to reiterate his view of the Israeli cause. His government and the Israeli Embassy are preparing for a media blitz to reiterate his view of the Israeli cause.

In short, Netanyahu would like the next president to embrace and adopt Israel’s “no” on the Palestinian issue. In parallel, Netanyahu is, as Israeli policy, preparing to galvanize the organized American Jewish community to his policy aims vis-a-vis the next regime. The Israeli Embassy in Washington is in contact with US Jewish organizations that are able to influence the administration and Congress, primarily the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and AIPAC. The new US Congress will be the main focus of these organizations in order to spread Netanyahu’s gospel.
Netanyahu’s third issue would be preventing American and international pressure on Israel on the following points: 1, Illegal colonies construction and USA must express its opposition to any Israeli settlement expansion more privately than under Obama: 1. Public assurances that the United States will veto any UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel or setting terms of reference for a two-state solution process. USA must as before veto any UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel or setting terms of reference for a two-state solution process.2. USA has to foil any EU member state initiative on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such as the French initiative on a two-state solution.

One has no idea as to what would President Trump tell Netanyahu.

 

Task before Trump presidency

President elects Donald Trump’s statement that he would end war between Israel and Palestinians is the first ever such intension for peace in Mideast but has been despised and not welcomed in Israel. Israel wants every president to carry forward the policy of genocides in Palestine. Even the Zionist left is shocked and terrified. Never before has Israeli media coverage of an American election been so intense and so involved.

The media globally described the victory of Trump  against the powerful Hillary Clinton as establishment candidate as  “shock win” because every step was ensured for the victory of Hillary as the first ever woman president to prolong the  terror occupation of Muslim countries,  invade more Muslim countries,  support the  expansionist drive of Zionist criminal regime, etc.

Of course, the Trump win was remarkable, though unexpected by majority of corporate regimes and their media outlets across the world. That means Trump needs his act together and launch anti-state terror and anti-occupation moves systematically and honestly.  There was also a clear sense from their reports that most reporters and analysts preferred the Democratic candidate.

President Trump should realize that he has arrived on international scene at a critical juncture as state terrorism has turned ugly and as fascist gang capitalist nations has become arrogant.

Israel opposes peaceful resolution of Mideast crisis with regard to Palestine state. Pursuing capitalist-imperialist path, Obama has long supported a two-state solution, but right-wing Israeli fanatic nuts believe that Trump’s election has buried the idea of a Palestinian state. Allowing a vote for Palestinian statehood — whether by withholding a veto or abstaining — would be a small step in helping translate thus far unimplemented US policy and guarantee that the new president will not be forced to bury the two-state solution whereby Palestine state comes into existence.
Instead of undertaking punitive measures against Israeli crimes against humanity, the Obama government has promised a supply of 10-year, $38 billion military aid package with a huge, up-to-date military arsenal to the essentially fascist Israel could only complicate the tension in Mideast. Obama has done this favor in spite of the fact that and Benjamin Netanyahu have not seen eye to eye on the Middle East conflict and the Iranian nuclear deal. President Trump could cancel the aid altogether to coerce Israel to abandon its terror techniques in Palestine and give up expansionist idea altogether.

While Israel continues to be in denial, Palestinian officials appear, however, to be accepting of the new reality, with President Mahmoud Abbas welcoming Trump’s election in a Nov. 9 message, also saying that he hopes a comprehensive peace will be achieved during his term. PLO Secretary Saeb Erekat reiterated the need for the new US leader to stay committed to the two-state solution. “We hope from the new US administration to translate talk about the two-state solution into a reality, because security, peace and stability in this region can only happen if the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 is defeated,” he said.

Hamas government in Gaza called on the president-elect to reconsider US policy toward the Palestinian cause. “The suffering of the Palestinian people is continuing because of biased, successive American administrations in favor of Israel,” the movement said in a statement released Nov. 11.

 

Observations

Humanity believes that US President Barack Obama should still use his remaining months in the White House to ensure that a UN Security Council resolution recommending the recognition of Palestine be permitted to pass. Obama could accomplish a number of goals with such a decision. It could be Obama’s gift to Middle East peace before leaving office on Jan. 20 when new incumbent Donald Trump takes power from him. Obama has the ability to instruct single-handedly his UN representative to support or abstain from a resolution that will become irrevocable once the UN Security Council passes it.

It is certain that President Trump would be able to make Palestine a soverign nation in a year or so and would not let the criminal regime in Israel attack Palestinians. It can’t be otherwise. However, if Trump also plays into the dirty Zionist hands, Trump would feel sorry later for his wrong decision to support the criminal and high fanatic Israeli regime.

Even Obama’s successor, Donald Trump under pressure from Israel and its agents in USA like Hillary Clinton, will not be able to reverse it mainly because he wants to establish Palestine and peaceful region in West Asia. Also, the Palestine state would have received international legitimacy. That would ensure transfer of power of sovereignty to Palestine government and withdrawal of Israeli forces and offices from Palestine territories. The borders of Palestine would be finally earmarked legally so that the Zionist military would end aggressor and expansionist wars in Palestine, its children won’t be killed by Israeli military any more.

Unless Palestinians obtain full membership of UN, Israel can resort to intermittent aggression, targeting children to quench its blood thirst. All mediatory efforts by USA and international community have filed because the top powers are not sincere. Fascist UNSC is not committed to world peace.

Passage of a Security Council resolution recommending a Palestinian state would seal a progressive legacy for Obama and help make up for his inability to reach a breakthrough in the Middle East conflict during his eight years in office.

The new US Congress under the Republican control could choose to punish Israel by withholding financial and military-technological support to the Jewish government. Censure of the settlements, however, would probably not elicit a strong reaction after Trump takes over. USA could increase the aid to Palestine to help rebuild the nation, destroyed by regular aggressions and terror attacks by Israel. .

Many in Israel think Netanyahu and Trump are ideological twins and so Netanyahu’s “peace process hands-off” message might probably meet a fertile ideological ground with the new regime.

First, recognition of Palestine by Trump’s USA and a condemnation of illegal Jewish settlements as international shame on the part of White House are the need of the time and a statement to the effect showcasing its genuine interest in peace would make the Mideast problem to get resolved soon.

Israel, however, does not believe trump would play to the Zionist fiddle.

UNSC, USA and EU should not let Israel decide the fate and destiny of Mideast by adding more terror goods into Israeli military. . It is important that before passing the baton to Trump, Obama round out his legacy by responding to the will of the Palestinian people by permitting a vote for the State of Palestine.

Both USA and its terror ally Israel must realize that Palestinians have the right to statehood and USA should help them obtain that right.

Establishment of Palestine state would make the region tension free, war free and world safe. Hopefully President Trump would realize it and work towards that objective.

Enough of blood bath in Palestine and Mideast! Entire globe is looking for a change in US polices towards neutrality, peace and prosperity in Palestine. Trump without any hesitation fulfill the dreams of Palestinians and humanity at large!

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