West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the death toll in the Odisha train accident is as high as 500, as opposed to the official figure issued by the Union government which stands at 275 so far. When Mamata visited the site of the accident on Saturday, June 3, she stated that the death toll could go up to even 500 while the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was also present at the accident site at the same time, refuted her claim and stated that the death toll was 238 at the time. Both the Union government and the Odisha state government have refuted her allegations, stating that the rescue and relief operations were being carried out in a transparent manner.
CM Mamata also questioned the death toll figures on Sunday, June 4, when she was addressing the media in Kolkata. She stated that 182 people were missing and 61 were dead from West Bengal alone. Mamata asked, “If from one state, 182 people are missing and 61 are confirmed dead, then where would the [total] figures stand?”
Meanwhile, the Odisha government and the Union government have disagreed with the Chief Minister’s claims. Union Minister Anurag Thakur accused Mamata of “playing politics” during a tragedy. While addressing a press conference on Sunday in Maharashtra’s Thane, he said, “Mamata Banerjee has lost her mamata (affection). The figures were given by the Odisha state government where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not ruling.”
Odisha’s Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena on Monday, June 5, said that the state government had no intention of hiding the number of people who have died. According to Zee News, he also said that the entire rescue operation was happening in full public view and there were no restrictions on media entry as well.
The death toll was earlier stated as 288, but the Balasore district Collector verified the death toll once again and it stood at 275 as of Sunday morning. When asked about the change in the numbers, Jena said that some bodies of the deceased persons were counted doubly which is why there was a higher number initially.