Mumbai: Alert motorman thwarts suicide attempt at Bandra

The train was at a speed of approximately 30kmph

Alert motorman on a Churchgate-Bandra local thwarted a suicide attempt at Bandra on Holi night on Sunday after slamming the hard brakes of a Virar fast local train, saving the life of an unidentified person.

As per details available, the motorman of the 9:22 pm Churchgate-Virar local train Harish Thakur on Sunday evening at around 9:44 pm spotted something blocking the rail tracks while on the run after leaving from Bandra platform 4. The train was at a speed of approximately 30kmph and Thakur then slammed the brake and restricted the speed of the train with consistent honking.

Thakur realised that someone was lying on the tracks. "Despite continuous honking, the person refused to budge and I halted the train and alerted the control room following which a pointsman at Bandra arrived and took away the person, clearing the way for the train," Thakur said in a statement.

Suicide cases along the Mumbai railway have been lately increasing with a 21% increase in 2023, according to latest available data of 2023 from the Government Railway Police. The number was just 100 in 2022. It states that a total of 121 individuals lost their lives to suicide, with 100 men and 21 women among the victims in one year. Of these, 82 were reported on CR and 39 on WR suburban sections.