Indian American teen raises over $10,000 for victims of deadly Odisha train accident
By Ryan General
August 8, 2023
An Indian American teen raised over $10,000 in funds for the victims of a tragic triple-train collision that occurred in India.
Act of kindness: Tanishka Dhariwal, 16, set up a campaign on GoFundMe on June 5, three days after the tragic incident that happened near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district. The collision, considered to be India’s deadliest rail accident in over 20 years, left over 1,000 people injured and at least 295 dead, 29 of whom remain unidentified as of this writing.
Dhariwal rallied her friends from diverse backgrounds to help her reach out to schools, districts, friends and family to gather a substantial amount to help the crash victims. With a total of 62 donations, Dhariwal was able to raise $10,498, exceeding her $10,000 target.
What caused the crash: Findings from the Commissioner of Railway Safety’s report revealed that lapses in the signaling circuit alteration at North Signal Goomty station caused the Coromandel Express to veer onto the loop line instead of the main track. Due to the error, the Coromandel Express collided with a stationary goods train on the loop line, leading to a domino effect that involved another passenger train, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express.
Three Indian Railways employees — Arun Kumar Mahanta, Mohammed Amir Khan and Pappu Kumar — have since been arrested under section 304 of the Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Successful drive: Dhariwal presented the raised funds to Indian New York Consul General Randhir Jaiswal during a ceremony on Friday. The funds will be channeled to the PM CARES Fund, which was established to provide assistance during times of emergency or disaster.
“I believe a little goes a long way, and hopefully, this is a good start to it,” Dhariwal said, according to ANI.
The Rajasthan Association of North America, of which Dhariwal is a youth member, also played an essential role in her philanthropic gesture. Notable members who attended the event included Haridas Kotewala, Ashok Sancheti, Ravi Jargarh and Chandra Sukhwal.
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