Satish Kumar Mittal, Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Southern Circle, on Wednesday conducted a day-long enquiry into the freak accident in which a woman lost her right hand after an indication board hit her while travelling on the Thiruvananthapuram-bound Ananthapuri Express on May 9.
Accompanied by senior railway officials, including Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Sunil Kumar Garg, Mr. Mittal inspected the accident site between Kalligudi and Virudhunagar railway stations.
He also inspected the coach in which the victim, R. Mahalakshmi (20), was travelling from Chennai to Tirunelveli.
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Over 30 railway officials and employees, Railway Protection Force and Tamil Nadu Railway Police personnel deposed before the CRS during the enquiry held at the DRM office.
However, only railway men deposed before him, the CRS said. Mr. Mittal said that only after a thorough enquiry, it would be known whether negligence on the part of the railway caused the mishap.
The investigation centred around how an indication board could fall on a moving train.
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Mr. Mittal also enquired the health of Ms. Mahalakshmi at a private hospital here where the woman is looked after by her parents and brother.
Her mother, who was travelling with her, said that Ms. Mahalakshmi had not stretched her hand outside the window, but an “object” flew into the coach and hit her.
An official of the hospital said that the severed hand that fell outside the train could not be replanted again since the tissues had been damaged.
Besides, the hand was not properly packed as it was laid directly on ice.
The CRS instructed the DRM to ensure that the medical bills of the victim were borne by the railways.
The officials would also explore the possibility of providing employment to the victim, a graduate in computer applications.
Ex-gratia
The railways on Wednesday given an ex-gratia of Rs.25,000 to Ms. Mahalakshmi.
The Southern Railway Women’s Welfare Organisation, Madurai, on Tuesday had handed over Rs.20,000 towards medical expenses to the victim.
The money was handed over b its vice-president Vandana Babu and treasurer Geetha Sahoo.