Mumbai: Woman badly hurt in Metro mishap to move court

Gauri Sahu, 20, sustained internal injures to her liver and multiple fractures to her hands

A Vakola resident, who sustained severe injuries after her clothes got stuck in a Metro door at Marol station on October 21, has decided to file a petition before the high court urging it to direct the police to register an FIR for negligence in duty. The woman, Gauri Sahu, 20, had earlier approached Andheri police, but cops refused to file a case, she claimed. She has further claimed that the Metro authority threatened to not pay the medical bills for her injuries if she filed a case.

Sahu, who works as a clerk at an educational institute in Marol, is a regular Metro commuter. When she was returning from work on October 21 evening, she was unable to board the Metro as it was crowded. However, her clothes got stuck in the door. As the Metro started moving, she got dragged on the platform till she hit the railings and came to a halt. She received major injuries on her liver, jaw and hands and doctors had to perform a 7 to 8-hour surgery to save her.

She claimed that when she got dragged, she asked for help but no one helped her. She further alleged that no security guards were present on the platform at the time.

Gauri Sahu had sustained several severe injuries on different parts of her body and had to be hospitalised for 23 days; (right) screengrab from the CCTV footage of Sahu getting dragged on the platform

Sahu told mid-day, "After my clothes got stuck on the door, I rolled on the platform and crashed into the railing. There were no guards there to help me. My friend, who managed to get inside the Metro, returned from the next station and took me to the hospital. Nobody helped me till the time she returned from the next station."

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"I do not want anybody else to face the same fate as me. I know I was also at fault, but there should have been guards on the platform to help. It is because of this that I want to file a case," she said.

Speaking about her treatment and recovery, she said, "I was admitted to SevenHills Hospital and the doctors performed multiple surgeries on my liver which sustained three cracks due to the impact. I also received multiple fractures to my hand and the doctors had to install plates. Doctors said my chances of survival were low."

"When I was in the hospital, Metro staff visited me and forced me and my family to not file a police complaint. They threatened to not cover the medical expenses which ran into around R10 lakh. As my family could not afford the treatment, we relented," she said, adding, "I was in the hospital for 23 days. After I was discharged, I approached the Andheri police to register a case for negligence of duty. They recorded my statement but did not register a case. So, now I am going to file a writ petition before the Bombay High Court."

Senior Inspector Santaji Ghorpade of Andheri police station said, "We have not registered a case. We recorded statements of the victim and Metro staff. Metro officials told me it was the woman's mistake. They said that announcements are made three times before closing the door and then the yellow light on the door blinks. She ignored these and tried to enter the Metro, so her dress got stuck. We are investigating the case to see who is at fault."

Advocate Vinay Kumar Khatu, for Sahu, said, "Sahu approached the police several times. The police have the CCTV footage. There were no guards present on the platform. It's purely negligence on part of the Metro authority about the safety of passengers. We will file a writ petition soon and also will file an application before the Andheri metropolitan court to register an FIR. Police are not helping Gauri. The Metro authority paid the bills but they did not pay compensation which Sahu deserves." A Metro official said, "The police are probing the case so we cannot comment on it."

21
Day in October when the incident took place