Bandra Terminus stampede: ‘Chasing spl trains wouldn’t be necessary if one could reserve seats’

Platform 1 at Bandra Terminus a few hours after the stampede occurred on Sunday. Pics/Anurag Ahire

The Bandra Railway Police told mid-day that of the 10 people injured in Sunday's stampede at Bandra Terminus, around eight lacked valid railway tickets. According to railway officials, most of the injured persons were not even travelling on the train themselves but had come to secure seats for their relatives.

The injured passengers are Shabhir Abdul Rehman, 40; Sameer Shaikh, 22; Mohammad Shareef Shaikh, 25; Parmeshwar Sukhdar Gupta, 28; Ravindra Harihar Chuma, 30; Ramsevak Ravindra Prasad Prajapati, 29; Sanjay Tilakram Kangay, 27; Divyanshu Yogendra Yadav, 18; Noor Mohammad Shaikh, 18; and Indrajit Sahani, 19.

Police officers at the site of the stampede in which 10 people were injured

A police officer stated, "When the train reached platform 1, more than 2,500 passengers rushed to catch it. The train's doors were closed from the inside to prevent anyone from boarding while it was moving. However, passengers began attempting to get on the train nonetheless to secure seats. Eight of the injured had climbed onto the train, probably to secure seats for their relatives, having entered the platform without valid tickets."

The officer added that in the rush, one person fell into the gap between the platform and the train while others lost their footing on the platform and were run over by heavy luggage.

Divisional Railway Manager Neeraj Verma said, "Our preliminary investigation indicates that all the injured were climbing on the doors and windows, which was the main cause of the incident."

Unreserved trains

A railway source said, "Every year, Indian Railways operates festival-special trains, which are unreserved.

This year, Indian Railways announced the operation of 7,000 special trains for Diwali and Chhath Puja, running from October 1 to November 30 to accommodate approximately 200,000 passengers." The 22921 Antyodaya Express is one such unreserved train, covering a distance of 2,025 km from Bandra Terminus to Gorakhpur. "To board it, passengers must purchase tickets at the counter, as no reservations are available. They need to wait at the station before the train arrives to secure seats. Once the train arrives, RPF staff open the gates to allow passengers to board. To prevent stampedes, railway officials should issue reserved seats at lower prices during the festive season. If passengers had reserved seats, they would not need to run after a moving train."

Subhash Passi, a former MLA from Uttar Pradesh and a member of the BJP, stated, "I met with all the injured passengers and their families. I demand that the Railways provide compensation to all injured passengers. Most of them were returning to their villages for Chhath Puja, and the incident occurred due to overcrowding. This reflects mismanagement by the railway administration."

7,000
No. of festival-special trains being operated across India from Oct 1 to Nov 30