A father and grandfather have been arrested in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district for allegedly killing a two-month-old girl and burying her in a forested area, police said on Thursday.

The incident was reported from the Jagatdal area, where the infant’s body was later exhumed and sent for post-mortem examination at Barrackpore Sub-Divisional Hospital.

According to police, the accused have been identified as Apurba Banerjee, the child’s father, and Vikas Banerjee, her grandfather. Investigators said the family had allegedly been expecting a male child and were unhappy after the birth of a second daughter. They did not even visit the hospital to see the mother and the child.

Police said the infant, who was around two months old, had reportedly been unwell for the past few days. However, on Wednesday, allegations surfaced that the child had been killed and secretly buried in a nearby forest area.

Following a complaint and protests by local residents, police reached the spot and took the two accused to the location where the body had allegedly been buried. Acting on information provided by them, officers exhumed the body and sent it for autopsy. Both men were subsequently arrested and booked under relevant sections of law.

Local residents expressed suspicion over the circumstances surrounding the child’s death. One neighbour told local media that while the family claimed the infant had died naturally, questions were raised over the hurried burial without informing neighbours or authorities.

Neighbour Chandrani Mondal said, “In the morning, we received news that the baby girl was killed and buried in the ground by her father and grandfather. We went to find out about the matter. But they told us that the baby girl died naturally. If that is what happened, why did the family members bury her in the ground so quickly without informing anyone? We want the police to investigate the incident.”

Sampati Banerjee, the mother of the deceased baby girl, said, “My daughter was sick for two or three days. When I woke up this morning, I saw that her body was cold. She was not breathing. I wanted to take my daughter to the hospital. But my husband and father-in-law did not agree. They quickly took the dead girl from my lap and buried her in the forest next to the house.”

Police said the exact cause of death would be determined after the post-mortem report is received, and further investigation is underway.

Actress Alia Bhatt has expressed her support for students amid the ongoing CJP protest. She shared a heartfelt note highlighting their courage, determination, and the sacrifices behind their journeys.

Taking to Instagram, Alia reflected on the emotions of the past few days, saying they had left her heartbroken at times but also filled her with hope. The ‘Raazi’ actress emphasized that behind every student standing up for their beliefs is a dream, a family’s hope, and a journey built on countless sacrifices. Alia shared a note that read, “The last few days have broken my heart and then mended it, again and again, with hope. Behind every student standing their ground is a dream, a family’s hope, a journey of countless sacrifices.”

“They represent not just themselves but everyone who has supported them while creating a better path for those who will come after them. Their courage humbles me. Their resolve is a mirror held up to all of us, asking whether we are truly listening to the very people who will inherit and shape this country’s tomorrow. For the students. By the students. The future is theirs. Jai Hind,” she added.

Several Bollywood celebrities have come forward to express their support for the students amid the ongoing CJP protest. Through their social media posts, many stars have highlighted the importance of listening to student voices and acknowledged their courage, determination, and aspirations.

Yesterday, Salman Khan extended his support to the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest. The superstar took to Instagram to praise the students for participating in the protest “peacefully” and called them “courageous and brave.” Sharing an old grainy picture of himself from his school days, the 60-year-old actor wrote, “It was such a peaceful movement, feel so sad that it had to take a violent turn. My heart goes out to the students and their families who were hurt. Paper leak is a very serious issue, and I am glad to know n see that the kids of our country have come together for a better educational system, and their parents supported them.”

“I truly appreciate the stand they have taken, showing dedication, sincerity, and keenness to study hard n make their future and a greater, educated India. This andolan, this protest, is the right way to go abt it, n the students have done this peacefully. So courageous and brave. Driven and motivated towards education, this generation will make India proud.”

Salman concluded by writing, “This issue is between the students and the educational system, it should not be hijacked politically, the credit should only go to the students of our country, and I am sure the government will also give them all the support n make it a stronger educational system. It’s a win-win situation. Hoping n praying for a positive decision. God bless all of you who wanna be educated. Education should be the next trend and fashion, and should get trendier n more fashionable yr by yr, itna k bahar se log come to India to study and India becomes an educational hub.” (sic)

New Delhi, July 22: There has been a sharp decline in train accidents in the country over the last 12 years as a result of the high priority being accorded to safety on Indian Railways.

The annual budgetary allocation for safety has shot up more than three-fold from Rs 39,200 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1,20,389 crore in 2026-27, the Centre told the Parliament on Wednesday.

The number of “consequential accidents” came down from 135 in 2014-15 to 16 in 2025-26 and only two accidents have been reported in 2026-27 till June this year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha.

“The causes of the accidents that took place over Indian Railways broadly include track defects, locomotive or coach defects, equipment failures, human errors, etc. Rail safety has now been strengthened through modern technology, infrastructure and enhanced maintenance. As many as 6,671 stations have been equipped with electronic interlocking and complete track circuiting while 10,395 level crossing gates have also been brought under the interlocking system to minimise human errors,” Union Minister Vaishnaw noted.

Complete track circuiting of these railway stations has been undertaken to enhance safety by verification of track occupancy by electrical means.

Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of signalling, for example, mandatory correspondence check, alteration work protocol, preparation of completion drawing, etc. have been issued.

The Indian Railways has added 36,429 track kilometres during 2014–26, which is more than 2.5 times higher than 2004–14 which has enhanced track safety.

Modernisation of rolling stock and maintenance practices strengthens safety, with LHB coach production rising more than 21 times to 49,366 during 2014–26 and weld failures reduced by 93 per cent.

The indigenously developed Kavach 4.0 safety system has been successfully commissioned on 2,490 route kilometres covering the high-density Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes.

Kavach implementation work is also under progress on 21,937 route kilometres, with installation being taken up on 7,435 locomotives and 1,200 EMU/MEMU trains.

The amount utilised for Kavach works so far up to June 2026 is Rs 3874.9 crore.

The allocation of funds during the year 2026-27 is Rs 2066.24 crore.

Requisite funds are made available as per the progress of works.

In reply to another query, Union Minister Vaishnaw said that at present, recruitment against 1,61,889 vacancies of non-gazetted personnel has been taken up on Indian Railways as per annual calendar 2024, 2025 and 2026.

During January to December 2024, ten Centralised Employment Notifications for 92,116 vacancies were notified for filling up of posts of Assistant Loco Pilots, technicians, Sub-Inspectors, Constables in Railway Protection Force (RPF), Junior Engineers, Depot Material Superintendent, Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant, Paramedical Categories, Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate), Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under-Graduate), Ministerial and Isolated Categories and Level-1 categories such as Assistants, Track Maintainers and Pointsman.

First stage/Single stage Computer Based Tests for 92,116 posts have been completed.

“During 2026-2027 (up to June 30, 2026) panels for more than 3,300 candidates for various posts, including the posts of Technicians, Junior Engineers, Paramedical Categories, Ministerial and Isolated categories and Assistant Loco Pilots have been finalised. Majority of them are in safety categories,” Union Minister added.