What is train ‘Kavach’ and why is it trending after Odisha train accident?

After a triple train crash in Odisha's Balasore that claimed nearly 290 lives, and injured over 800 passengers, the railways on Saturday confirmed that there was no ‘Kavach’ system installed on the trains, that could have prevented them from colliding with each other. Opposition on ‘Kavach’ system Many opposition leaders, including Maharashtra Congress's Balasaheb Thorat, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, and Trinamool's Saket Gokhale targeted the Centre and raised questions about the railways' ‘Kavach’ system on the route of the mishap. According to the railway ministry, the system has been developed indigenously by Research Designs and Standards Organisation in association with three Indian vendors and has been adopted as the National Automatic Train Protection System. A preliminary probe by senior railways officials suggested that a “mistaken” signal likely led to the Coromandel Express entering the line on which a goods train was parked a few metres ahead, eventually resulting in a three-train accident near Bahanaga Bazar railway station.