The structure adjacent to the Odisha train accident site is an ISKCON Temple, not a mosque - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 5, 2023
In the context of the recent tragic train accident that took place near Bahanaga Bazar Railway station in Odisha, resulting in the loss of over 275 lives, a post is circulating on social media claiming that the station master of Bahanaga Bazar railway station Mohammad Sharif has been missing since the accident. The post also claims that the structure near the accident site is a mosque, implying that the accident was caused by a particular community. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: Bahanaga Bazar Railway Station Master Mohammad sharif has been absconding since the occurrence of the accident and the structure located near the accident site is a mosque.
Fact: The individual responsible for overseeing the Bahanaga Bazar Railway station at the time of the accident was Assistant Station Master SB Mohanty, who is currently under investigation by the Railway Authorities. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the structure near the accident site is, in fact, an ISKCON Temple and not a mosque. Hence, the claims made in the post are FALSE.
According to a press release by the South-eastern Railways, the accident occurred near Bahanaga Bazar Railway station. The railway authorities have initiated an investigation, and preliminary findings suggest that the accident was caused by a signalling error. Earlier reports from local media indicated that Assistant Station Master SB Mohanty was missing since the accident. However, one of the Station Managers S.K Pattanayak later clarified that S.B Mohanty, who was in charge of the station during the accident, is currently under investigation.
Additionally, an FIR has been registered at the Balasore GRPS regarding the accident, but it does not mention any person named Sharif or any other individual absconding after the accident. To verify this information, we reached out to Balasore GRPS Sub-Inspector Papu Kumar Naik, who confirmed that there is no station master named Sharif involved in this incident and called it fake news.
Regarding the structure adjacent to the accident spot, the visuals published by various media outlets (here, here, and here) indicate that it resembles a temple rather than a mosque.
To gather more evidence, we conducted a search on Google Earth and Google Maps, which confirmed that the structure is indeed the ‘Bahanga ISKCON Temple’.
In addition, local journalists shared the visuals of this ISKCON temple from the accident site to several fact-checking sites. The visuals can be viewed here and here.
Furthermore, the Odisha police have strongly appealed to users not to share any such communal misinformation, and they have emphasized that action will be taken against those spreading such falsehoods.
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.
Investigation by the GRP, Odisha into the cause and all other aspects of the accident is going on.
To sum it up, the in-charge station master of Bahanaga Bazar Railway station during the accident SB Mohanty is currently under investigation. Moreover, the structure adjacent to the accident site has been identified as the ISKCON Temple and not a mosque.