New Delhi: The family of the injured driver of Coromandel Express has alleged that it is not being allowed to meet him, Hindustan Times and Jagran English have reported.
Incidentally, Times Now had earlier wrongly reported that the driver, Gunanidhi Mohanty, was dead and ‘the signal was green’ were apparently his last words.
The family has now said that they have no details about the whereabouts of Mohanty. The driver was admitted at a private hospital with serious injuries. The hospital has said that he was discharged 5 days ago.
“Nobody has told us anything about my brother. I think he is still in [the] hospital. But I am not sure,” the Hindustan Times quoted Mohanty’s elder brother, Ranjit Mohanty as saying.
The railways have also refused to give any details.
“Health is a private issue and we can’t comment on that. Besides, two probes (by CRS and CBI) are continuing. So we will not be able to comment,” said Vikas Kumar, Public Relations Officer of East Coast Railway division.
“I had gone to see him just a couple of days after the mishap. He was badly injured and could not talk. He was in [the] ICU then. After that we have not been allowed to meet him,” English Jagran quoted Sanjay Mohanty, another brother of the driver’s, as saying.
Mohanty is a resident of Naharpada, a village 10 km away from Cuttack. He was admitted to the hospital with multiple broken ribs and head injuries, after the crash.
“Everyone in the village thinks my son is responsible for the accident. But he has been piloting trains for the past 27 years, and had never, ever, made a mistake. How do I know what happened that evening? I have not even spoken to my son. I have only been waiting for him to come home,” driver’s 80-year-old father said to the Hindustan Times.
The newspaper also clarified that the train’s driver was not one of the five officials whom the CBI or Railway Safety Commissioner were interrogating in connection with the accident in which 291 died, according to official estimates.
And, therefore, the mysterious disappearance of the driver was baffling for family members but unfortunate too.