NGT Investigates Elephant Deaths Caused by Train Collision in Assam

NGT Takes Action Following Elephant Tragedy

New Delhi, Jan 14: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has requested responses from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and other relevant authorities regarding the tragic incident where seven elephants lost their lives after being struck by a Rajdhani Express train near Guwahati in December of the previous year.

The tribunal initiated this inquiry after taking suo motu cognizance of a newspaper article that reported on the unfortunate event that occurred on December 20, 2025, when the Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express collided with a herd of elephants.

As part of the proceedings, the tribunal has included the CPCB, the Assam government represented by its special chief secretary for the environment, the principal chief conservator of forests, and the Assam State Pollution Control Board as parties in the case.

In its ruling dated January 5, the tribunal noted that the details emerging from the news report raise significant environmental concerns.

The report referenced by the NGT indicated that the collision resulted in the derailment of the engine and five coaches of the Rajdhani Express on the Jamunamukh–Kampur section of the Northeast Frontier Railway.

The NGT has scheduled the matter for discussion before its eastern zonal bench in Kolkata on January 28.

On December 20, the newly inaugurated Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express collided with a herd of elephants near Changjurai village in Assam’s Hojai district, resulting in the deaths of seven elephants, including three adults and four calves, while another calf sustained injuries.

In response to the incident, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma promptly ordered a thorough investigation, instructing the Forest Department to look into the circumstances surrounding the collision.

Nagaon divisional forest officer Suhash Kadam suggested that heavy fog might have played a role in the accident.

The incident has also faced significant backlash from the Kaziranga Wildlife Society (KWS), the oldest wildlife NGO in the state, which has called for a judicial inquiry, claiming that the train violated a 2014 Supreme Court ruling that imposed speed limits of 30–40 km/h based on the vulnerability of the railway segment.