E-Paper
Man killed, 2 injured after falling off trains in Thane
One person died and two others were injured in three different accidents related to overcrowding on local trains along the Central Railway (CR) network on Wednesday.
One person died and two others were injured in three different accidents related to overcrowding on local trains along the Central Railway (CR) network on Wednesday. All three accidents took place between Mumbra and Kalwa, during peak hours in the morning. So far in 2020, four people have died and six have been injured after they fell off local trains on CR.
According to Government Railway Police (GRP), the three accidents took place between 9.30am and 10am, on the slow track and on trains bound for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). Haji Rayees Ahmed, 53, was forced to stand on the footboard because the train was overcrowded, said officials. He fell off the train near Kharegaon and died.
Meanwhile 42-year-old Imtiaz Hyder Shaikh and 23-year-old Abu Osama suffered serious head injuries. Shaikh and Osama are undergoing treatment at Thane’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital (also known as Kalwa Hospital).
An officer from Kalwa GRP, requesting anonymity, said, “Ahmed suffered multiple injuries and was declared dead on arrival at Kalwa Hospital. He fell off the train around 10am near Kharegaon. The two injured, Shaikh and Osama, suffered injuries at 10 am and 9.30am respectively.”
While Shaikh and Osama are Mumbra residents, Ahmed was visiting the city. “Ahmed owned a shop in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. On the day of accident, he left my home in Mumbra and was traveling to Mumbai to meet a relative,” said Ahmed’s cousin, Mohammad Aslam Shaikh.
Imtiaz Hyder Shaikh, who suffered injuries on Wednesday, told HT he had been on his way to Vikhroli for work. “I had caught 9:28 am CSMT local. However, it was crowded and I was hanging from the door. Due to pressure from the crowd, my hand slipped and I fell off the train. We have to bear this overcrowding daily as by the time the train arrives at Mumbra, it is packed during peak hours,” he said.
Osama works as a mechanic and was also going to CSMT for work. Two months ago, Osama’s younger brother had fallen off a crowded local, said his mother Isratunissa Shaikh. “My younger son too met with similar accident and suffered injuries on his hands. He recovered from the injury just recently,” said Isratunissa, 45.
Nandkumar Deshmukh, president of Railway Passengers’ Association, Thane, said overcrowding is a persistent problem and his organisation has repeatedly requested that CR increase the number of capacity of trains operating during peak hours. In 2019, 45 people died after falling off local trains.
