Three elephants, including two calves, were mowed down by a Janshatabdi Express train near Banstala railway station in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district late Thursday night, as a herd believed to have strayed from Jharkhand’s Dalma forest attempted to cross the Kharagpur-Tatanagar rail line.
The collision occurred on the busy Kharagpur-Tatanagar section, a corridor often used by wild elephants migrating across forested landscapes in Bengal and neighbouring Jharkhand.
“The three pachyderms were hit on the tracks by a speeding Janshatabdi Express,” a police officer said on Friday, adding that the incident occurred while a large herd of around 30 elephants was navigating the railway stretch.
Owing to the presence of the remaining herd, it was difficult for forest and railway personnel to approach the carcasses for several hours.
Loco pilots have long argued that halting a train abruptly upon sighting elephants is not always feasible. Calls for improved warning systems and speed regulation mechanisms in elephant corridors have grown louder in recent years.
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Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. Wildlife officials said a report would be submitted on the circumstances of the accident, including whether standard operating procedures were followed.
The Dalma-Kharagpur-Tatanagar belt has witnessed multiple fatalities in the past. In August 2018, two adult elephants and a calf were fatally struck by the Gyaneswari Express while crossing tracks near Gidhni station, roughly 180 kilometres from Kolkata.
Environmentalists and forest officials have, time and again, urged Indian Railways to adopt preventive measures in known elephant corridors, including sensor-based alert systems, speed restrictions, and increased coordination with forest departments.
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