Jnaneswari Express met with a major accident when it got derailed at Sardiha (Jhargram), West Midnapur at 0130 AM on 28 May 2010. More than 150 passengers died and many more were injured in the accident.

Taking initiative, the NCC instructed Col RS Bath, the NCC Group Commander, Kharagpur, to mobilise NCC cadets for the relief and rescue operations at the accident site. Despite the students being on the vacations, the NCC Group and the Units of the area, employing ingenious means of communications, mobilised 200 boy and girl cadets to carry out the rescue operations.

In close coordination with the National Disaster Management Team, the NCC cadets indefatigably rendered their services in the rescue and relief operations over three days.

The cadets were employed for :-

(a) Crowd management

(b) Blood donation

(c) Organising temporary camp

(d) Organising community langer (kitchen) and distribution of food and water in conjunction with the locals.

(e) Helping the Disaster Management Team with their specialized equipment for the rescue operations.

(f) Evacuation of the injured people.

(g) Nursing the patients and helping the hospitals.

(h) Removal and guarding of the baggage recovered from the train.

The tenacity and resilience of the young cadets during such devastating scenario won the hearts of one and all. The civil administration including the ministers and other dignitaries showered immense praise for the role of disciplined youth.

Although the train disaster has left a large number of people in agony with irreparable losses; it has highlighted the role that the motivated and disciplined youth force of the NCC can play during such disasters.