Three trains run over boy’s body before it’s removed from tracks

Government Railway Police at Wadala has registered a case of accidental death.

According to the railways, the accident took place at 5.11pm. However, since there is no station master at the station, the railway control was informed about the accident at 5.18, by which time two more trains had passed over the body. On Harbour Line, trains run every four minutes.

According to eyewitness Sudhama Ram (34), even as commuters on the platform gathered near the body lying on the tracks, no one came forward to help. “Even as the second train passed, no one came forward to help. So I ran down to the booking clerk’s office towards the south end of the platform to inform railway officers and get a stretcher. Meanwhile, the railway police at the station also arrived and we lifted the body from the tracks,” recalled Ram, who works as a shoe polisher at the station. The other body parts were recovered from three different locations by the railway police and a poinstman.

Narendra Patil, Chief Public Relations Officer, CR, said, “Since there is no post of a station master at the station, it took some time before the control room was informed. With trains being run every four minutes on the line, it was difficult to inform the motormen of other trains on time.” Patil said that as soon as the control room received the information, the ambulance was alerted within three minutes and the body parts were recovered and sent to Sion hospital by 5.50pm.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, who visited the spot Wednesday, said he would demand “a railway security and safety audit” for the entire suburban railway system from the Railway Ministry. “What happened was inhuman and the railways will be asked to inquire about why the trains were not halted to remove the body,” he said.

priyal.dave@expressindia.com