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Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Mumbra probe: Man with bag may've slipped, hit opp train's footboard travellers
Mumbai: The fall of eight commuters from two fast trains at Mumbra on June 9 may have been triggered by a footboard traveller with a shoulder bag losing balance, according to preliminary findings of an investigation being carried out by a five-member team set up by Central Railway. Five of the passengers died, reports Manthan K Mehta. It occurred around 9 am when a Kasara–CSMT train and a CSMT–Karjat local passed each other near signal posts at nearly 75 kmph. Investigators reconstructed the sequence using CCTV footage from earlier stations. Sources said the commuter, who was on the footboard of the second last coach of the Karjat-bound train, appeared to lose balance, possibly due to a shift in position while adjusting or holding onto his bag. This loss of balance led to a fellow passenger falling with him. Both then reportedly collided with commuters on the oncoming local, resulting in some of them falling off. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The distance between two crossing local trains is just 0.75 m or 2.46 ft, which offers little room for misjudgment, especially for footboard travellers. The June 9 Mumbra tragedy may have been triggered by accidental fall of some travelling footboard even on a train that was not crowded, according to preliminary findings of an investigation by Central Railway. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Unwelcoming Countries in the World, Ranked BigGlobalTravel Undo It occurred at around 9 am near signal posts 40/405 and 40/401, during the simultaneous movement of two fast suburban locals: train no. N-10 (Kasara–CSMT) heading up on the Thane line, and train no. S-11 (CSMT–Karjat) on the opposite track. "The incident occurred in the train heading in the non-peak direction, which is usually less crowded. But CCTV footage from earlier stations reveals it wasn't empty as one might assume," a senior CR official said. The trains crossed each other at speeds nearing 75 kmph. "At that velocity, even a minor loss of balance can be fatal, as the body is thrust outward and may strike against the train on the adjacent track," an official added. Investigators, working with limited visual evidence, reconstructed the sequence of happenings using CCTV footage from earlier stations. All eight victims were reportedly standing on the footboard when they lost balance. Five of them died, while three others sustained injuries, some inside one of the coaches. While the five-member panel of CR officers is probing technical and human factors behind the incident, a parallel investigation has been launched by Mumbai railway police under an assistant commissioner of police with a 10-member team. The absence of CCTV coverage at the site of the incident, coupled with inconsistent survivor testimonies, has made the task complex. In order to gather more information, CR had issued a public appeal from June 15 to 17, inviting eyewitnesses to come forward. The response, was poor: only five people reached out, and none could provide direct insight into the critical moment of the accident. "Most inputs were general comments on crowding. No one could describe the actual fall," a CR official said.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Pilot molestation: Aggregator cab driver arrested, Mumbai police hunt for his 2 friends
Mumbai: The Mumbai: Ghatkopar police on Sunday arrested the aggregator cab driver who allegedly re-routed his vehicle while driving a 28-year-old woman pilot home on June 19 night, and stopped and allowed in his two friends who went on to sexually harass her. Police are still looking for the two men. The arrested accused, Gajeelul Hassan Shaikh (25), was produced before the Dadar holiday court, which remanded him to three days of police custody. In her complaint, the pilot said that she reached CSMT to meet her husband on June 19 evening. At 10.45pm, her husband booked the cab in Fort for her to go home in the eastern suburbs. "After travelling for about 25 minutes, the driver suddenly changed the route, stopped the vehicle and allowed two unknown men to get in. One of them sat in the front seat, and the other sat next to me in the rear. They were aged between 25 and 30," the complainant stated in the FIR. She added the man sitting next to her grabbed her right hand and twisted it backwards. As she screamed in fear, the other man sitting in the front passenger seat threatened her to be quiet. Shaikh continued driving and did not react, she said, adding that the duo got out and fled when the driver slowed down before a police nakabandi. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo After that, the cab driver took her to her address. She asked the driver who those men were and why he had let them into his car. The driver stayed silent, she said in her complaintFIR. She added she was in a state of panic, paid the fare of Rs 530, and he left. On June 20 night, she and her husband filed a complaint at Ghatkopar police station. An FIR was registered the next day and Shaikh was tracked down based on the booking details of the cab. Police are yet to seize the vehicle. Police have booked Shaikh and the two unidentified men under sections 75(1) (sexual harassment), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 3 (5) (when a criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all, each of such persons is liable for that act in the same manner as if done by him alone) of the BNS.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Time of India
Mumbra train mishap: Probe slows down as inputs from key CR staff awaited
Thane: The Government Railway Police (GRP) investigation into last week's Mumbra rail accident has apparently hit a standstill, with key technical staff from the Central Railway still unavailable to offer their statements, police officials said. A GRP team led by Assistant Police Commissioner, Mumbai CSMT, S Shirsat is conducting a parallel probe into the incident that led to the death of four and left ten injured. This is alongside the Central Railway investigations led by its expert team. The police said they have spoken and recorded statements of railway staff and a few injured passengers admitted to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital (CSMH) at Kalwa last week. A police unit has also been stationed at Mumbra station since the incident, while another police team led by ACP Shirsat and Thane railway police senior inspector Archana Dusane has meticulously mapped the track distance between platforms 3 and 4 and also the bend ahead of the platforms. "We've spoken to the injured passengers—some claimed that bogies of two local trains, running in opposite directions, brushed against each other. We've completed preliminary inquiries and are investigating further. There are several theories, but we will have to wait for inputs from the railway technical staff as their observations will be crucial for us to proceed and draw conclusions," said a senior police official. Meanwhile, six of the ten injured were discharged after undergoing orthopaedic surgeries from the CSMH, while one still admitted will undergo surgery on Monday, informed Dr Rakesh Barot, the hospital dean. One patient requiring neurosurgery was transferred to JJ Hospital last week, while two others remain in critical condition at Jupiter Hospital. The injured passengers told their relatives that the incident happened in a split second, giving them no time to react. "It felt like the bogie of the adjoining train came too close," said the elder brother of Adesh Bhoir from Kasara. Sneha Dhonde from Titwala, who suffered multiple stitches on her head, recalls she was travelling in the first ladies' coach of the CSMT-bound local when the mishap occurred.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Time of India
Thane accident: Trains move at slower speed on Mumbra stretch after mishap claim commuters, CR cites different reason
THANE: Local and mail express trains crossing the Diva end stretch of Mumbra platforms 3 and 4 were moving at a comparatively slower speed than before since Tuesday morning, commuters pointed out. Interestingly, this is a day after railway activists and regular commuters blamed the trains on the fast tracks cruising at high speeds at the sharp curvature at the northern end of Mumbra platforms 3 and 4 for possibly being the cause of the freak Monday mishap where four passengers died and ten others suffered injuries. An initial probe by the railway police had revealed the bags dangling out of the coaches of passengers travelling on the footboard may have brushed against each other, causing the mishap. Mumbra commuter activist Rafique Sheikh said trains were moving at a slower speed at the spot compared to the previous day. The Central Railways, however, claimed a speed restriction was imposed, but it was not due to the Monday incident. 'There was some engineering work going on at a spot 1.5 km away from the spot,' said CR Chief PRO Swapnil Nila. Meanwhile, activists said they alerted the administration about three spots between Diva and Kalwa as potential danger spots. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Diva-based activist Ananda Patil said he wrote to the railways three months back, highlighting how trains leaned dangerously to one side while crossing the stretches. 'There are three spots between Diva and Kalwa which pose threats, but to date, there is no corrective action except for a statement by the administration declaring the spot to be as per the standards,' said Patil. Nila also dismissed the possibility and defended that the curvature was as per the norms. Meanwhile, the local staff from Mumbra station who attended to the mishap victims were likely to be called in for questioning. The railway police, guided by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Railways, CSMT, also inspected the spot where the victims were found following the mishap to look for clues. 'We are likely to access the CCTV footage of the spot along with the train pilot and manager of the CSMT and Karjat locals,' informed a police official requesting anonymity.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Time of India
'We saw them between two tracks': 4 dead in Thane mishap; not sure how many fell from two trains, say railway officials
'We saw them between two tracks': 4 dead in Thane mishap; not sure how many fell from two trains, say railway officials THANE: Some activists said overcrowding combined with the platform curve may have led to eight commuters simultaneously falling off two local fast trains going in opposite directions at Mumbra station Monday morning. Central Railway, however, clarified the incident did not occur on the curve. Some speculated that scuffles inside compartments might have been a cause. About the scratch marks found on the exterior of the last coach of the CSMT-bound train involved in the incident, a CR official said the rake was taken to Kalwa car shed to ascertain if the marks were sustained during the incident or were pre-existing. Those dead were identified as Ketan Saroj (23), a BPO employee and resident of Ulhasnagar, Vicky Mukhyadal (34), a railway policeman returning home to Kalyan from duty, Rahul Gupta (27) from Diva, and Mayur Shah (44) from Thane. The nine injured were Priyanka Bhatia (26) from Shahad; Sneha Dhonde (21) from Titwala; Adesh Bhoir (26) from Kasara; Rihan Shaikh (26) from Bhiwandi; Tushar Bhagat (22) from Titwala; Manish Saroj (26) from Diva; Machhindra Gotarne (39) from Vashind; and Shiva Gavli (23) and Anil More (40). They were all admitted to Jupiter Hospital. It was not clear how many people fell from each of the trains, railway officials said. Of the four dead, though, Mukhyadal was in the Karjat-bound train and two others – Saroj and Gupta -- were in the CSMT bound local; it is not yet clear which train Shah fell off. Sources said the guard of the Kasara–CSMT train raised an alarm after spotting passengers lying between the tracks. Eyewitnesses at Mumbra described a horrific scene with injured commuters lying in the gap between the up and down fast lines. Commuters and cops immediately jumped onto the tracks to help. Commuter Deepak Shirsat said crowding at Diva led to intense footboard pressure, causing his friend to fall. 'We tried pulling the chain, but it didn't stop the train,' he said. CR's chief PRO Nila said, 'Of the nine injured, five were hurt while travelling inside the compartment, and four fell off the train. All were shifted to nearby hospitals.' A CR official said, 'This is an unheard-of incident in the history of Mumbai's suburban system. There are incidents of people falling down but these are isolated. It is shocking 8 people fell at the same time.' He said the gap between two passing trains is 2 m or 6.5 ft. It means a person has to be hanging out by 3.5 ft to have collided with a passenger from opposite train. 'This is indeed baffling,' he said. The railways have now decided to introduce non-AC locals with automatic door closure and enhanced ventilation features by Jan 2026. Parallelly, they have initiated procurement of 238 AC locals. Tenders for AC rakes were floated and cancelled for 'administrative reasons' two years ago. On the sharp curve theory,commuter activist Rafique Shaikh said, 'Load often shifts to one side due to the curve, making it hard for footboard travellers to hold on.' CM Devendra Fadnavis said railways have begun an investigation. State minister Girish Mahajan announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for kin of each of the deceased and free medical care for the injured.
