Ceiling at Elphinstone Road station crumbles, leaves 38-year-old woman with 4 stitches

Anita Basak, who was at the ticket window, sustained injuries after a piece of the false ceiling fell on her head

Less than a month after a stampede took place at a foot over-bridge at Elphinstone Road railway station, which claimed 23 lives, a 38-year-old woman had a narrow escape on Friday.

A portion of the false ceiling that crumbled on Friday afternoon. (Shashi S Kashyap/HT)

Anita Basak, who was at the ticket window, sustained injuries after a piece of the false ceiling — 7-inch-long and 2-inch-thick — fell on her head.

The incident took place at 3.55pm when Basak was returning from the passport office with her son Rohan, 18. A case was registered with the Mumbai Central Government Railway Police (GRP).

“A woman constable rushed Basak to the KEM hospital, where she received four stitches,” said Dattaray Pawar, senior inspector, Mumbai Central GRP.

Doctors at the hospital said that Basak was brought into the casualty ward at 3.35pm. “She had no major injuries. Her CT scan and X-ray reports showed no major complications. She is stable and being treated for her injuries,” said Dr Avinash Supe, dean, KEM hospital.

After the September 29 stampede, the railways formed multi-disciplinary bodies to audit all railway stations, including Elphinstone Road. But before the audit report is made public, Friday’s incident has once again raised questions on passengers’ safety at railway stations.

Although the Western Railway (WR) spokesperson confirmed the incident, he refused to comment on the safety measures implemented at the station after the stampede.