On June 2, a passenger train and a freight train transporting iron ore collided in the Balasore district of Odisha. The impact of the collision was so strong on the passenger train that its coaches derailed and hit the last two coaches of another passenger train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah. While the state and centre swung into action immediately and rescue teams were deployed to the scene, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists became the first responders at the accident site.
RSS volunteers are aiding relief efforts at the Balasore. Within just 40 minutes of the accident, hundreds of swayamsevaks reached the location and initiated the relief operation.
— Friends of RSS (@friendsofrss) June 3, 2023
250+ volunteers providing food, water, assistance to affected families. 400 blood units donated by… pic.twitter.com/8eecdZTXly
Speaking to OpIndia, RSS’s Odisha media head Rabi Narayan Panda detailed how RSS helped in the rescue operation and provide relief to the victims. The following chain of events and the role of RSS is based on a discussion with Rabi Narayan Panda.
There is an RSS Shakha (RSS branch) at village Asimila of Bahanaga tehsil in district Balasore (Baleshwar) of Odisha. The Shakha is located close to Bahanaga Bazaar railway station near the accident site. The RSS activists present at the Shakha heard the sound of a collision and rushed to the accident site.
RSS – The first respondent
The accident took place at around 7 PM. Within minutes, RSS activists and locals were at the accident site. The RSS activists swung into action and started preparing for the rescue. By 7:30 PM, they started the rescue operation while the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies at the state and national level rushed to the accident site.
Equipped with basic tools, mobile torches and courage, RSS activists and villagers tried their level best to save as many passengers as they can. As the accident left coaches in a dangerous state, everyone present had to move cautiously. By 9 PM the government agencies reached the spot. Rabi said, “When NDRF reached the accident site, it got much easier to rescue victims. We worked alongside rescuing people. We had only mobile lights and were trying to reach victims with bare hands. NDRF changed the situation in minutes after reaching.”
He added that the response time of state government was praiseworthy. Within an hour of the accident, around 100 ambulances reached the accident site on the instructions of the state government. The situation was overwhelming for the ambulance drivers and frontline workers due to the extent of the accident site. RSS activists stood by the medical care workers and ambulance drivers to help them in transporting dead bodies and victims.
He added, “We did everything possible to make sure victims and mortal remains of the deceased reached the nearest hospitals as quickly as possible. Before ambulances arrived, we had already started transporting them in private vehicles.”
RSS helped in identifying injured and deceased
The next chaotic site was the hospitals. The victims waiting for treatment, the shortage of blood, devastated family members and limited hands to help them made the situation tense. RSS workers rushed to the hospital and without further delay started assisting the hospital staff and victims’ families in whatever way possible without hindering the hospitals’ and doctors’ work.
One of the most difficult situations for the families of the deceased and injured was to fill out the required forms and get the process started. RSS workers helped the family members in identifying the deceased, and fill out forms so that they can get relief funds promised by the government and claim dead bodies. At every step, RSS workers were there to help the victims.
Assisting hospital staff, donating blood and medical care
In such situations, hospitals often run out of blood. RSS activists were among the first to stand in line to donate blood at the hospital. By midnight, around 250 units of blood were donated by RSS activists. RSS also broadcasted messages about blood requirements in its WhatsApp groups. Within a couple of hours, over 2,000 volunteers were lined up at hospitals to donate blood.
At one point, the senior members of RSS at the site noticed there was a need for medical professionals at different sites to help the victims and family members in distress. Three RSS members who were medical professionals were stationed at different locations to provide first aid assistance to whoever required it.
Water distribution drive
While state and central agencies worked tirelessly to clear the coaches as soon as possible, RSS worked hand-in-hand with these agencies. In the beginning, there was enough water for the victims, families and rescue teams. However, on Sunday, RSS was informed there was a shortage of water.
Within a couple of hours, water was arranged and a distribution drive was initiated across the accident site and hospitals to ensure everyone had water in the scorching heat.
Round the clock, RSS volunteers in Balasore are tirelessly assisting affected families and injured individuals, providing essential aid like food and water among others. #OdishaTrainAccident pic.twitter.com/wyKqCyDEVd
— Friends of RSS (@friendsofrss) June 3, 2023
RSS also arranged food packets and other items as and when required by the victims and their family members.
RSS and its History of relief work
Apart from RSS, ABVP, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Yuva Vahini and other Hindu organisations were present at hospitals and accident sites to provide assistance. All these organisations have a remarkable history of being the first respondents at the time of a disaster across the country. RSS and other Hindu organisations worked extensively during the Covid pandemic to arrange medicines, food and oxygen for the people suffering from the deadly disease.
