Overview

• Investigators retrieved auto voice recorder calls in which Pankaj Sharma falsely told the Alapakkam Station Master he had closed LC-170 before admitting post-crash that he never shut the gate.
• The Government Railway Police FIR and statements from van driver C. Shankar and student Vishwesh corroborate that the non-interlocked gate was open when Train No. 56813 struck the school van.
• Sharma was suspended and arrested on criminal negligence charges as multi-agency teams continue to verify audio evidence and witness accounts.
• The Tamil Nadu government and Southern Railway each granted Rs 5 lakh to families of the deceased and combined payments of Rs 3.5 lakh for seriously injured survivors and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
• A Southern Railway–funded underpass at Semmankuppam remains unapproved by district authorities, fueling demands for automated signals and safer crossing upgrades nationwide.