Arvind Chaturvedi
At 4:57 am in Hojai, an alert forest official, a red signal, and quick action by a railway crew helped prevent what could have been a major elephant-train tragedy.
How Forest Officials and Railway Staff Averted the Tragedy
August 19, darkness still covered Hawaipur in Assam’s Hojai district when a herd of 65 elephants, including small calves, began crossing a railway track.
At almost the same time, the Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (20503), travelling towards New Delhi, was approaching.
The next few moments were critical.
Forester-1 Shashank Rai heard the herd and the approaching train and immediately moved to alert the loco pilot. Using a torch and displaying a red signal, he warned the train crew of the danger.
RFO Manik Barua of the Lanka Range, Nagaon South Forest Division, and his patrolling team also alerted the Lumding Railway Control Room. In the darkness, the loco pilot spotted the red signal.
The emergency brakes were applied. The Rajdhani Express stopped at a safe distance from the herd
All 65 elephants crossed the track safely. A potential tragedy had been averted.
When technology meets human vigilance
How Gajraj Suraksha Helps Detect Elephants Near Railway Tracks
The incident also highlights the role of technology in protecting elephants along railway tracks in Assam.
The Railways’ Gajraj Suraksha, an Intrusion Detection System (IDS), is designed to detect elephant movement near railway tracks and alert railway personnel.
The system uses telecommunication cables laid alongside the tracks as sensors. When elephants approach within the designated detection area, the system detects vibrations caused by their movement. The system then identifies the movement and sends audio-visual alerts to the loco pilot and station master.
The aim is simple: give railway crews enough warning to slow or stop a train before it reaches the animals.
But technology cannot work in isolation.
At Hawaipur, the alertness of the forest personnel, communication with railway control and the immediate response of the train crew were equally crucial.
The result: 65 elephants safely crossed the track.
A painful reminder
A Tragic Reminder From Hojai’s 2025 Elephant-Train Collision
The successful intervention also comes after a tragic incident in the same district.
On December 20, 2025, seven elephants were killed after being hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Hojai district. The collision also caused the train to derail.
The contrast could hardly be sharper.
On one occasion, a herd came onto the tracks, and lives were lost.
Eight months later, another herd crossed the railway line—and this time, the warning came in time.
The human element
It would be easy to describe the Hawaipur rescue simply as a victory for artificial intelligence or modern technology.
But the story is really about both technology and people.
Technology can detect a threat and send an alert. It is human beings who must recognise the danger, communicate it, and act on it.
Shashank Rai had to raise the alarm. The forest team had to alert railway control. The railway crew had to respond. And the loco pilot had to bring a speeding Rajdhani Express to a halt.
Every link in that chain mattered.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the state Environment Minister praised the officials involved on social media.
For the 65 elephants, however, the outcome needed no words.
They crossed the tracks safely.
The train stopped.
And a potential tragedy was averted.
The episode offers a simple lesson: when technology, human vigilance, and timely action come together, even a seemingly inevitable disaster can be stopped.
