TRACKS OF TRAGEDY

The Balasore train accident is a grim reminder of shattered hopes and separated families. But what has made it worse is the politicisation of a catastrophe

- Aishwarya Mohanty

IT was a hot summer evening, and finding a seat next to the window meant a soothing, windy journey. The general compartment was crammed with people, but Ajodhi Paswan (42), his wife Usha (40), and their son Suraj (19) had found a quiet space. They were travelling from Bengaluru, where Ajodhi and Suraj worked as masons. Their excitement was inevitable as they were headed home to Musepur village in Bihar's Samastipur district after more than a year.

But that summer evening was the last time the family was together. Their journey was cut short by the nightmarish train mishap in Odisha's Balasore district on June 2-billed as one of the worst in Indian railway history. The accident left 288 dead and over 1,200 people were injured.

Twelve hours after the accident, Ajodhi and Usha were admitted with severe injuries in two different hospitals almost 180 km apart-both unaware about the whereabouts of their son. Three days later, Ajodhi and Usha were moved to a hospital in Samastipur, and are slowly recovering. But they still do not know whether their son is alive.

Ajodhi's relatives, who travelled 700 km to look for Ajodhi and his family, returned to Samastipur on June 6 after a futile search for Suraj. "We were told Suraj was admitted to a hospital in Balasore. The hospital staff informed us that he was discharged and showed us his signature. The signature was in English and Suraj does not sign in English," says Ajodhi's uncle, Biswanath Paswan.