Virender Sehwag offers ‘free education’ to bereaved children of the Odisha Train tragedy.

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has offered the bereaved children who lost their parents in the tragic train accident in Odisha on May 2 a free education at the boarding facility of Sehwag International School. Three trains collided head-on, killing more than 288 people and injuring over a thousand.

The disaster near Balasore, Odisha’s Bahanaga Bazar station involved three trains: the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train. Two trains were carrying over 3,400 commuters, according to railway officials.

Sehwag uploaded an image of the accident scene to Twitter and wrote, “This image will haunt us for a long time. In this time of sorrow, the least I can do is ensure the education of the children of those killed in this tragic accident. I provide these children with a complimentary education at the boarding facility of Sehwag International School.”

This image will haunt us for a long time.

In this hour of grief, the least I can do is to take care of education of children of those who lost their life in this tragic accident. I offer such children free education at Sehwag International School’s boarding facility 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/b9DAuWEoTy

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) June 4, 2023

Following one of the most tragic train collisions in the nation’s history, the Railways ministry has requested an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation. In addition to Sehwag, business magnate Gautam Adani has pledged to pay for the schooling of the children whose parents were killed in the tragic incident.

उड़ीसा की रेल दुर्घटना से हम सभी बेहद व्यथित हैं।

हमने फैसला लिया है कि जिन मासूमों ने इस हादसे में अपने अभिभावकों को खोया है उनकी स्कूली शिक्षा की जिम्मेदारी अडाणी समूह उठाएगा।

पीड़ितों एवं उनके परिजनों को संबल और बच्चों को बेहतर कल मिले यह हम सभी की संयुक्त जिम्मेदारी है।

— Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) June 4, 2023

“We are all profoundly distressed by the train accident in Orissa. We have decided that the Adani group will be responsible for the education of the children whose parents were killed in this disaster. It is our collective responsibility to offer support to the victims and their families and a brighter future to the children,” Adani wrote on Twitter.

Several other cricketers, including Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, VVS Laxman, and Virat Kohli, extended their deepest sympathies to the casualties and their families.

The Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, has announced a compensation of 5 lakhs for the families of those who perished in the tragic accident, and 1 lakh for those who were severely injured.

Previously, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced an ex-gratia of INR 10 lakh and the Prime Minister’s Office had announced an ex-gratia of INR 2 lakh for the families who lost loved ones in the calamity.