By: J.J. Hitt To: Fred Rice Re: Sacred Cows in traffic * Original To : All, 1:308732 * Ori

By: J.J. Hitt
To: Fred Rice
Re: Sacred Cows in traffic

 * Original To  : All, 1:30873/2
 * Original From: Robin Murray-o'hair, 1:382/1006
 * Original Area: THEIST_WATCH
 * Original Date: Aug 23 11:02

by Conrad Goeringer


     This isn't exactly the tale of Casey Jones. The death
toll stands at nearly 300, with another 400 people injured
Sunday, August 20 is what is being termed possibly the
worst train accident in the history of India. It all
started when the New Delhi-bound Kalindi Express struck a
"sacred" cow one-half mile from a railroad station near
the town of Firozabad. According to the rail system's
regional manager, the cow's body became entangled in the
engine and supposedly damaged the locomotive's brake
system. A second train known as the Pureshotham Express,
also headed for New Delhi, then slammed into the stopped
Express. There were a total of 2,200 passengers on both
trains, most of them asleep at the time of the collision.

     But there's more to the story than is being reported
in some U.S. media. Some wire service reports are
emphasizing the poor condition of India's rail system,
which still has old track and switching equipment. That
may not have been a major factor in this particular
accident, however. Early reports suggested that the first
train engineer wad distraught and embarrassed over hitting
a cow, a "sacred" animal in India's Hindu superstition,
and began slowing the train down to check on the condition
of the holy bovine. Nothing about defective breaks, or any
accident to the breaking system, was noted.

     In any case, cows wander the streets, fields and even
railroad right-of-ways throughout India, and are revered
as sacred objects, often shown more consideration and care
than those human beings ostracized by India's notorious
Hindu caste system. This isn't the first time cows have
been responsible for human carnage. In 1981, a crash
involving one of the sacred animals killed more than 200
people when a train crashed into a river.


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