The state police have urged people not to circulate falsehoods that could incite intercommunal strife as officials and governments continue their restoration efforts at the accident site in Balasore, Odisha.
On Sunday, the police issued a warning that anyone attempting to sow discord among the community by disseminating any kind of false information would face harsh punishment.
“It has come to notice that some social media handles are mischievously giving communal colour to the tragic train accident at Balasore. This is highly unfortunate,” wrote Odisha police on Twitter
“We appeal to all concerned to desist from circulating such false and ill-motivated posts. Severe legal action will be initiated against those who are trying to create communal disharmony by spreading rumours,” the police added.
Odisha Police issued the statement after many social media posts associated a block close to the scene of the rail disaster with a specific neighbourhood.
Later that day, Ashwini Vaishnaw, the union minister for railways, announced that the railway board had resolved to suggest that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) look into the terrible triple train tragedy.
Coromandel Express received a signal to enter the main line, but it was ignored, causing it to enter the loop instead, where it collided with a cargo train that was waiting there, according to early investigations.
The disaster, which was caused by a derailment, affected two passenger trains—the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express—as well as a goods train. Late on Friday, two passenger trains and a goods train crashed in the Balasore region of Odisha, resulting in at least 275 fatalities and over 1,100 injuries.
