Man loses hand, fractures leg after being pushed off train

A native of Uttar Pradesh, Diwakar had arrived in the city just a week ago and secured a job at a laundry in Ulwe

Navi Mumbai: A 32-year-old man lost his right hand and suffered a significant leg fracture after allegedly being assaulted and pushed out of a running train by four men. Kumar Lalji Diwakar, a 32-year-old father of four, is being treated at Sion Hospital.

Man loses hand, fractures leg after being pushed off train

A native of Uttar Pradesh, Diwakar had arrived in the city just a week ago and secured a job at a laundry in Ulwe. On April 26, his day off, he tried to board a crowded local train from Nerul to Uran at around 6 pm when the incident occurred, according to Sachin Kumar, his relative.

As the train was leaving the platform at Nerul station, Diwakar pushed himself into the crowded compartment. “This seems to have agitated four other commuters, who then ganged up on the victim. Despite apologising to the men for forcibly pushing himself into the train, he was physically assaulted. One of them even knifed him before pushing him out of the compartment,” said a railway official.

As Diwakar fell on the track, the train ran over his right hand. He also suffered a broken leg. Railway officials, who found him lying on the track, took him to NMMC Hospital in Vashi. Due to the nature of the trauma, he was transferred to JJ Hospital, before being brought to Sion Hospital. A doctor at Sion Hospital said Diwakar was stable but needed his injured hand to be amputated, along with a cast on his right leg.

“We have recorded his primary statement and registered a complaint. Once he is discharged, we will show him CCTV footage to identify the accused. We also need clarity about the station from where the four accused boarded the train,” said Pravin Padvi, senior police inspector, Government Railway Police (GRP), Panvel.

The police have filed a case against four unidentified people under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (intentionally insulting and provoking), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

According to the GRP, as many as 590 commuters lost their lives after falling off trains in 2023, while 1,241 were injured. Abhijeet Dhurat, president of the Navi Mumbai Railway Pravasi Welfare Association, said the incident could be due to overcrowding or a pure case of bullying by miscreants. “There is a need to increase the frequency of trains, as well as address the lack of security measures on the trans harbour line. This will be duly raised with the authorities.”