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3 dead after falling off running train

Raktima Bose

Train movement disrupted for five hours
Passengers squat on tracks in protest

KOLKATA: Three persons died and three others seriously injured when they fell off a running suburban train on the outskirts of the city during rush hour on Wednesday.

Train movement on the Sealdah-Ranaghat section of Eastern Railway’s Sealdah division was disrupted for about five hours following the accident, after passengers squatted on tracks to protest against the accident. As a result, 20 pairs of Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains were cancelled and 14 trains were detained en route.

Some passengers were leaning out of the door in the overcrowded Sealdah-bound train when the victims fell off it after being hit by an electric pole by the side of the tracks. Two men died on the spot and another succumbed to his injuries in hospital. The condition of two others was stated to be critical.

Local people and passengers put up a blockade on the tracks, demanding that the railway authorities remove the non-functional electric pole. They also demanded compensation for the kin of those killed and injured.

“We have started removing the pole, though we are not sure if it was the cause of the accident,” an Eastern Railway spokesperson said. He, however, added that the railways will not give compensation to the kin of those killed and injured.

The Divisional Railway Manager at Sealdah has been asked to submit a detailed report on the incident to the railway authorities.

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