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Image Credit: Twitter/Manv1994
Muslim Station Master Sharif Ali Fled From Spot After Train Accident? Fictional Character Added For Communal Spin
Odisha, 7 Jun 2023 10:45 AM GMT
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While giving Odisha train accident a communal angle, people on social media claimed that the station master of the Bahanga Bazar railway station (the nearest railway station to the accident side) is a Muslim identified as Sharif Ali and he fled the accident site.
In the recent train accident in Balasore district of Odisha, where the Shalimar Chennai Coromandel Express (12841) en route to Chennai from Shalimar, West Bengal, met with an accident, 288 people dead, and 1000 were injured. The CBI has now taken over the investigation and is probing the cause of the accident.
Claim:
Many conspiracy theories are being circulated on social media giving it a communal spin. While giving this accident a communal angle, people on social media claimed that the station master of the Bahanga Bazar railway station (the nearest railway station to the accident side) is a Muslim identified as Sharif Ali and he fled the accident site.
A Twitter user shared this image and wrote, “Name Sharif. Post – Station Master. At present, is absconding since the order of investigation. From now on one needs to check the name before offering a job. #Balasore”.
Another user wrote, “The train accident in Odisha which killed more than 300 and seriously injured more than 900, the name of the station where it happened is Bahanaga Station. The name of the station master of this station is *Mohammed Sharif Ahmed*. Absconding since the order to investigate the accident.
While sharing the image, Several users also alleged that “Intelligence agencies suspected involvement of Bangladeshi & Rohingya and ISI in this incident.
It is being widely shared on Facebook and Twitter with a similar claim.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian fact-check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false. No communal angle was involved in this case. The station master was identified as SB Mohanty.
During the initial investigation, we observed the control panel in front of which the Station Master is seen in the picture has BORRA GUHALU (Borra Guhlu) written on it. Taking a hint from it, we did an open keyword search and found that this station is in Borra Guhlu, located in the Alluri Sitaram Raju district of Andhra Pradesh.
On doing Google reverse image search, we found a similar image on the website of a photographer named Vikas Chander, along with other pictures related to his Kottavalasa-Kirandul train journey. According to the description, the image was taken at Borra Guhlu station on March 6, 2004. The caption of the image reads, "We walked back to the station and had breakfast with the station master..." Evidently, the viral image is almost 19 years old and unrelated to the recent train accident.
In further investigation, we found that SB Mohanty was the officer on duty at the Bahanaga Bazar Station closest to the accident site. We could not find any report mentioning an officer named Mohammad Sharif working at the Bgahanaga Bazar station on the day of the accident. We came across a report by Kalinga TV, an Odia news outlet, dated June 3. The title of the report reads, "Odisha train accident: Bahanaga Assistant Station Master is on the run, case registered". According to the report, after the train accident took place, Bahanaga Assistant Station Master S B Mohanty, who was on duty, fled from the spot. However, fact-checking website Alt News spoke to two senior IPS officers from Odisha who told them that no one fled from the accident site and police were in touch with them.
We then found a video report of India Today dated June 5, in which the name of the station master of Bahnaga Bazar station was mentioned as SB Mohanty. The title of the report reads, "Odisha Train Tragedy: SB Mohanty, Station Master On Duty At Mishap Site, Shunted."
We contacted Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) for the South Eastern Railway division for more updates. While talking to The Logical Indian, he refuted the viral claim. He said, "There is no staff or station master named Sharif Ali posted at Bahanaga Bazar Station. SB Mohanty is the station master and we should not involve in communal angle in this accident." He further refuted the claim of SB Mohanty fleeing from the spot after the accident. "SB Mohanty was present at the accident site and was actively involved in the rescue operation," he added.
Conclusion:
It is evident from our investigation and by the statement given by Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, CPRO, South Eastern Railway, that the name of the station master of Bahanaga Railway Station is SB Mohanty. There is no staff or station master named Sharif Ali posted at Bahanaga Bazar Station. Also, the image shared with the claim is almost 19 years old. Hence, the viral claim is false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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