Kanchanjunga Express Accident: Railway Ministers Who Took Moral Responsibility And Quit After Major Tragedies

As India is hit by another major train tragedy, here's a look back at the Railway Ministers who quit their posts taking moral responsibility.

India on Monday was hit by the death of at least 15 people in the Kanchanjunga Express accident. It came just one year after the Odisha Train Accident in Balasore on June 2, 2023, which killed over 290 people. The two major accidents in a span of just one year have brought to focus BJP leader Ashwini Vaishnaw's role as the railway minister.

Soon after the accident, the Congress sought the resignation of Ashwini Vaishnaw from the post of the Railway Minister, which he was re-allotted in the Modi 3.0 Cabinet.  Over the last one year, there have been several major train accidents that strengthen the Opposition's demand for the Railway Minister's resignation on moral grounds.

Major Railway Accidents Since 2023

Topping the list is the triple-train accident involving the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express on June 2, 2023. The accident resulted in nearly 300 deaths.

Next came the Lucknow-Rameswaram Bharat Gaurav train tragedy. In this incident, the multiple rakes of the train caught fire on August 25, 2023, killing 9 passengers. At least, 20 people were injured. Three days ago, an under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 26 workers.

Barely a month and a half later, the Anand Vihar Terminal-Kamakhya North East Express derailed in Bihar on October 11, 2023. More than 70 people were injured in the incident. Four people were reportedly killed in the accident. The same month, a collision between the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train and the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train killed 14 people on October 29, 2023.

Railway Ministers Who Quit Post

The Opposition cited previous examples of Railway Ministers who quit their posts after major accidents. Netizens are, in fact, comparing Vaishnaw with BJP ally Bihar CM Nitsh Kumar, who quit in 1999 after a major railway tragedy. Till date, only two Railway Ministers have resigned from their post, taking moral responsibility for the deaths of people killed in accidents.

Morarji Desai

The first Railway Minister to resign was Morarji Desai, who quit his post after the Tamil Nadu train accident in November 1956. As many as 104 people were killed when the Madras-Tuticorin Express fell into a river due to a weak embankment near Madras (Now Chennai). This was the second tragedy of such magnitude in three months.

Earlier in September 1956, a bridge collapse killed 125 people in Hyderabad when a train travelling between Jadcherla and Mahbubnagar was passing over it.

Nitish Kumar

Nitish Kumar, who was the Railway Minister in the Atal Bihar Vajpayee Cabinet, resigned from his ministry after the Gaisal train accident in Bengal, in which 290 people were killed. Back then, he said: "It is a total failure of the Railway. That's why I have resigned... This was criminal negligence."