Title - Nitish condemns Minister’s statement on train tragedy

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday took umbrage at Union Minister of State for Railways, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s statement, on the recent train tragedy in Bihar that claimed 28 lives.On a visit to the accident site on Tuesday, Mr. Chowdhury blamed the State government for not alerting the railways about a large congregation of pilgrims for a fair, and criticised them for failing to build roads at the remote spot, accessible only by the railway route. Reacting to the remark, a miffed Mr. Kumar said, “This is an irresponsible statement. I can say that he has made a fool of himself.”

Early on Monday, the superfast Rajyarani Express mowed down a group of pilgrims walking on the tracks, killing 28 and injuring nine, at the Dhamara Ghat station in Bihar’s Khagaria district. The incident sparked off violent protests by passengers. On Tuesday, people staged a protest at the station demanding a road.