Ghatkopar youth recounts moment when he thought he lost his father to the stampede that occured at Elphinstone Road Railway station. Fortunately, the latter survived the tragedy
For one father-son duo, who had a narrow escape, Friday's tragedy taught them one lesson, but the hard way — never leave each other's sight. Amresh Kumar, 22, and his father Shrinivas work at separate garment shops in Dadar. However, the duo usually head for work together from their residence in Ghatkopar. On Friday, after arriving at the station at around 10.15 am, the two got down and took the foot overbridge as usual. While Amresh managed to get out minutes before the stampede, his father Shrinivas was still on the bridge, along with other commuters.
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Amresh with father Shrinivas Kumar
"Because of the crowd that had gathered, my father got stuck on the staircase and couldn't get out. Noticing me at the exit, he signalled that I go ahead. But, when I reached my shop and heard of the news, I was absolutely shocked. I rushed back to the station to find my father," said Amresh. However, when he reached the station, the pandemonium ruffled him. With absolutely no clue as to where his father was, Amresh began to panic. Moments later, he got a call from the police, who informed him that his father was at KEM Hospital. "Until that time, I felt really helpless. I had begun to regret the fact that I left my father at the station," he said. Shrinivas, however, survived the incident and is currently receiving treatment for minor injuries.
Piyush Thakar
Another survivor, Piyush Thakar, 23, said that the incident did not take place because of any rumours of the bridge collapsing or a short circuit. "People had blocked the exit to save themselves from getting wet in the rain. However, the crowd was pushing from behind, and this, eventually led to the stampede," said Thakar.
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