Connect with us
Monday,31-August-2026
Breaking News

National News

Rail connectivity to Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur disrupted for month now due to track damage in Assam

Published

on

Guwahati/Agartala, Aug 10: Rail connectivity between southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the rest of the country has remained disrupted for nearly a month following heavy rainfall and soil subsidence that damaged railway tracks along the strategically important Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section in Assam, officials said on Monday.

A senior Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) official said train services on the vital Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section under the Lumding Division have been partially disrupted following incessant moderate to heavy rainfall in and around New Harangajao station in Assam’s mountainous Dima Hasao district, formerly known as North Cachar Hills.

“A huge number of workers, railway personnel and engineering teams are working despite inclement weather, and heavy machinery has been deployed on a war footing to restore the affected tracks and lines at the earliest. However, we are unable to say when normal train services will resume. Regular train operations are expected to resume once the restoration work is completed safely,” the official told media.

Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury told media that the state government officials are in close touch with NFR officials and engineers to restore normal rail services after completion of the ongoing repair and maintenance work near New Harangajao station.

Opposition leaders, including those from the CPI-M and Congress, have accused the Railway Ministry and the Tripura government of failing to make adequate efforts to expedite the restoration of the affected railway tracks, despite the strategic importance of the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section for southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur.

The NFR official said continuous heavy rainfall had triggered soil subsidence beneath two of the three railway tracks near New Harangajao station, affecting a stretch of nearly 300 metres and severely disrupting train operations since last month.

“Restoration work has been progressing under challenging conditions, but continuous moderate to heavy rainfall and inclement weather have significantly hampered repair efforts, delaying the resumption of normal services,” he said.

The official said the settlement of the railway tracks on Line 1 and Line 2 near New Harangajao station had disrupted train operations on the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section.

At present, all train movements through the affected stretch are being operated on Line 3 under strict monitoring and enhanced safety measures to ensure the safe passage of trains.

In view of the ongoing restoration work, the NFR has cancelled the Guwahati-Silchar and Guwahati-Dullabcherra Express services since the disruption occurred. Several other trains connecting southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur have either been rescheduled, regulated, or partially cancelled.

The Kolkata-Agartala Express, which was supposed to commence its journey on August 9, was regulated en route in the Lumding Division.

In the interest of passenger safety, the operation of passenger-carrying trains through the affected section has been suspended during night hours. During the daytime, trains are being allowed to pass through the affected stretch under regulated conditions and continuous monitoring.

The Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section is the principal rail link connecting Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, and southern Assam with the rest of the country, making it one of the most vital and strategically important railway corridors in the Northeast. Any prolonged disruption on the route has a cascading impact on passenger movement as well as the transportation of foodgrains, fuel, construction materials and other essential commodities to the region.

Every year during the monsoon season, railway infrastructure across parts of the Northeast remains vulnerable to heavy rainfall, floods, landslides and soil erosion, frequently disrupting passenger and goods train services along the Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section.

The four-month monsoon period from June to September often causes extensive damage to railway tracks, embankments, bridges and other infrastructure due to landslides, waterlogging and erosion, particularly in the mountainous terrain of Dima Hasao district. As a result, several Northeastern states, especially Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur, along with parts of southern Assam, frequently face prolonged disruptions in rail connectivity with the rest of the country, causing considerable hardship to passengers and affecting the timely movement of essential commodities and commercial goods.

Crime

3-year-old nursery student sexually assaulted at Delhi school; bus driver arrested

Published

on

New Delhi, Aug 31: A case involving the sexual assault of a three-year-old nursery student at a private school in Delhi Bawana has come to light. Police have arrested a school bus driver in connection with the incident, officials said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Vikas, had been working as a bus driver at the school for around eight months. According to police, he allegedly befriended the child by offering her chocolates and subsequently sexually abused her on multiple occasions.

Police arrested Vikas from the school premises after the child’s identity and allegations were established during the investigation.

The case came to light on the night of August 19, when the child’s family noticed injury marks on her body and became concerned about her condition.

When the child’s mother questioned her about what had happened, the girl reportedly spoke about a “bad uncle” at her school who used to give her chocolates. As the three-year-old was unable to identify the man by name, the family approached the school administration and sought its help in finding out who the person was.

On August 24, the child was shown photographs of school staff and CCTV footage from the school premises as part of efforts to identify the person she had mentioned. Police said the girl identified Vikas as the man she had referred to as the “bad uncle”.

Following the identification, the school informed the police about the matter. An FIR was subsequently registered under the relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, following which the accused school bus driver was arrested.

According to the allegations being investigated by police, the accused followed the girl when she was going towards the bathroom. He allegedly offered her chocolates and then touched her inappropriately under the stairs of the school.

During the investigation, police also seized the accused’s mobile phone. Officials said the device contained several videos showing him feeding chocolates to young children.

Police are now working to identify the children seen in those videos. The children are also being counselled as part of the ongoing investigation and to ensure their safety and well-being.

Investigators have also collected and seized CCTV footage from cameras installed at different locations on the school premises. The footage is being examined to establish the sequence of events and determine whether there were any other instances involving the accused.

Continue Reading

Crime

16-year-old gang-raped in moving sleeper bus in UP, abandoned at Delhi’s Kashmere Gate

Published

on

New Delhi, Aug 31: A 16-year-old girl was gang-raped inside an empty sleeper bus by its driver and conductor in Greater Noida earlier this month, police said on Monday, adding that both accused have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to police, the incident took place near Pari Chowk on August 4. The survivor alleged in her complaint that the two accused sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she resisted. They later abandoned her near Kashmere Gate in Delhi.

The accused, identified as driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep, were arrested from a parking area in Timarpur on the same day.

Police have seized the bus and sent it for forensic examination. Investigators have also collected CCTV footage from the route taken by the bus as part of the probe. Police said the footage is being examined to establish the sequence of events and trace the movements of the vehicle.

The teenager is a resident of Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. Police said she had left her home without informing her family after her mother reprimanded her over her studies. She was travelling to Noida Sector 63, where her cousin lives.

According to the girl’s statement to police, she mistakenly got down at Pari Chowk amid heavy rain and darkness. After realising that she had reached the wrong location, she tried to find another vehicle and eventually stopped the sleeper bus. Police said there were no passengers inside the bus at the time.

The conductor allegedly told the girl that the bus was heading towards NoidaSector 63, following which she boarded the vehicle. Police said the bus was actually returning empty after undergoing repairs at a workshop in Surajpur.

The girl alleged that soon after the bus began moving, the conductor started behaving inappropriately towards her. She further alleged that both men then sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she resisted.

After the assault, the two accused abandoned the girl near Ring Road in Delhi’s Kashmere Gate and fled from the spot. She subsequently approached the police and reported the incident, following which an investigation was launched.

Kuldeep and Sandeep have been booked under charges relating to gang rape, kidnapping and assault.

Police said the sleeper bus had curtains covering the individual berths, which may have provided privacy inside the vehicle during the alleged crime.

As part of the forensic investigation, teams recovered strands of the girl’s hair from inside the bus. The vehicle has been seized, and forensic examination is being conducted to collect further evidence that could support the investigation.

Continue Reading

Crime

JPSC-JSSC scam: CID uncovers result manipulation, answer scripts rewritten outside strong rooms

Published

on

Ranchi, Aug 31: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), probing irregularities in Jharkhand’s JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations, has uncovered a massive scam involving a sophisticated racket that ranged from software-based result manipulation to removing answer scripts from highly secure strong rooms for rewriting.

The revelations have come from statements of arrested employees and directors of examination-conducting agencies, as well as middlemen interrogated during the CID probe.

Investigators have found evidence suggesting that answer scripts were taken out of secure strong rooms, rewritten by experts at hotels and rented flats, and later returned clandestinely to the storage facilities.

The CID is currently expanding its investigation by examining technical evidence, server logs and financial transactions linked to the alleged syndicate.

According to the CID’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), outsourced agencies responsible for conducting examinations allegedly developed software and online portals specifically designed to manipulate examination results.

During questioning, accused Hemant Verma, an employee of vendor agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd, stated that the modus operandi was similar to the irregularities reported in Uttar Pradesh’s RO-ARO examination.

He alleged that in 2025, the directors of TDPL collaborated with a private company to develop a customised software platform for JPSC examinations. He told investigators that this software enabled operators to identify favoured candidates before examinations and alter their answers directly through the database.

Further disclosures on manipulation in the main examination came from the statements of the accused recorded by the CID.

According to these statements, answer scripts were deposited in the strong room at the JPSC office after examinations and blank answer sheets belonging to selected candidates were secretly removed.

The answer scripts were then allegedly handed over by TDPL directors Ramveer Singh, Satyapal Singh, Pradeep Kumar Singh and Mohammad Usmani to experts at various hotels and rented accommodations. In the presence of specialists and the concerned candidates, answers were filled into the scripts before they were covertly returned to the strong room.

Another key accused, Abhay Tiwari, also admitted before the CID that after the preliminary examination for Assistant Conservator of Forest and Forest Range Officer posts, a room was rented at Hari Om Tower in Ranchi under the pretext of preparing for the main examination.

According to his statement, agents of the racket brought subject experts from Punjab, Haryana and Lucknow to write answer scripts on behalf of candidates.

The investigation has further revealed that, after the answer-writing process, attempts were allegedly made to inflate candidates’ marks by approaching professors from various colleges and universities. In his confession, Abhay Tiwari claimed he paid Rs 40 lakh to get answer scripts written and secured higher marks for his candidates.

The CID has intensified its probe to establish the full extent of the network and identify all individuals involved in the alleged examination fraud.

Continue Reading

Trending