India witnessed a major train accident in which about 288 people succumbed to their injuries, about 56 sustained grievous injuries and in total, around 1091 were injured in different forms. It shook the entire Nation, and many countries showed empathy.
Whilst till today, it is uncertain what caused the accident of such a magnitude, the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the root cause of the accident has been identified and handed over the matter to the CBI. The Honourable Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has stated that stringent action will be taken against the guilty.
The investigators are now looking into the possibilities of human error, technical fault in the signal and other possibilities. Recently, we have seen a pattern of targeting public transport, especially the Indian Railways and its properties. For instance, on several occasions, Vande Bharat trains have been attacked and damaged on different routes. The Investigators may want to look upon the possibilities of Sabotage vis-a-vis active indulgence of radicals supported by the International Terrorists Organisation such as Al- Qaida and their outfits in India.
It’s worthwhile to mention that, Al- Qaida in its propaganda magazine, has threatened to attack India after the gangsters Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were killed by miscreants in the presence of Police.
Al-Qaida and its other outfits have targeted transport systems in the past. The Investigators may want to look into the MTI Database on Terrorists and Serious Criminal Attacks against Public Surface Transportation. Terrorists attack rail transportation because they object to railroads; they attack rail systems to create public alarm, cause widespread disruption and inconvenience, and impose costs on the national economy.
In recent decades, terrorists have attacked public surface transportation systems because they see crowded stations and commuter trains as killing fields. Their use of inherently indiscriminate tactics—IEDs, VBIEDs, mass shootings, attempts to derail passenger trains—suggest that slaughter is the objective.
There have been a number of incidents to suggest the revival of AQIS, Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent. The AQIS has blamed the Right Wing Outfits and the Hindu Community for carrying out attacks on mosques and Islamic Seminaries. The beheading incident in Rajasthan, recovery of large numbers of gelatinous sticks. Earlier, one Rajasthan-based explosive was allegedly found in supplying explosives to ISIS outfits. These are some trigger points which should be considered whilst investigating the Odisha Train Accident.
For years, ISIS has used a variety of online platforms—including Twitter and WhatsApp, among others—to communicate with recruits and operatives, issue claims of responsibility for attacks, and disseminate news updates and propaganda materials. In January 2015, the group even circulated a list of recommended private messaging applications, ranking them from least to most “secure.” At the time, ISIS considered Telegram to be a ‘safe’ or secure communications application and accordingly recommended its use. (Source: Wall Street Journal).
The ISIS presence online has caused considerable concern among authorities. However, at a TechCrunch conference in September 2015, Telegram founder Pavel Durov dismissed these concerns, asserting that “[t]he right for privacy is more important [to Telegram] than our fear of bad things happening, like terrorism.” Two months later, ISIS carried out the deadliest terrorist attack on French soil since World War II, killing 130 people and wounding 350 more. According to French investigators, the group had relied in part on Telegram and WhatsApp to coordinate and plan the attacks. (Sources: YouTube, International Business Times).
Since the Paris attacks, Telegram has revised its formal position, pledging to remove ISIS accounts from public channels. The company has, however, adamantly refused to take down private ISIS chats, where the attacks coordination is believed to take place. As Telegram says on its Frequently Asked Questions page, “All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them [emphasis added].” While Telegram pledges to block ISIS-related “bots and channels, we will not block anybody who peacefully expresses alternative opinions [emphasis added].” (Source: Telegram).
