Date of real incident-11.03.2008

After the encounter of various types of beggars I took a little snack at the Vijayawada railway station and took a little nap. I got up when the noise was unbearable when the East Coast Express was traveling on the long bridge constructed over the river Godavari. It was a beautiful sight to watch the train cross the long bridge especially in the night hours. I was enjoying watching the scenery as monument after monument was passing by on the sides of the railway track as we were approaching the Rajamundry railway station.

Finally the station arrived but due to some reason the train was moving at a very small pace, probably to align the Coach Placements on the Platform. Suddenly the cry of a woman’s voice was heard. There was hurried movement among some passangers on the platform towards the coach that was one or two coaches away from mine. Finally the train stopped with three sirens, it was stopped by force by pulling the emergency brakeing chain from somewhere.

I got down from the coach and curiously moved on to the place of happening. A young lady was being lifted from beneath the train, from a point between the platform and the tracks. She was shocked but was only marginally hurt. On querying, it was observed that she was a regular traveler and had a monthly pass. I was recollecting the story published on the Indian Express, some fifteen days back, by Mr. Biswanath Ghosh about one such incident that he had witnessed on his journey from Delhi to Kolkata by a Rajdhani Express. The incident happened at Hatia probably and the victim was an attender of one of the coaches and had suffered complete cut of his body parts below the torso.

The above story published in the news paper was just reminder of the grim effects of small neglects we generally do on the safety aspects in our every day chorus. I had also been told about such a nasty happening by one of my close friends, who was traveling from Hirakud railway station to Rayagada after he had submitted his Project Report at the M-Tech department of the University College of Engineering, Burla. He was working with me at JK Paper Mills, Rayagada, Orissa. When he got up to one of the coaches at Hirakud railway station, he was sitting next to a family, that comprised of a lady and her two children (both daughters). They were coming from Rourkella and were going up to Berhampur. Since my friend had some acquaintance of Berhampur, he talked and knew about their travel plans etc. They were on a holiday trip to their ancestral house to attend some social function. The father of the children had alighted at the Hirakud railway station to fill the water bottles. He was working at the Rourkella Steel Plant.

As time passed, the family members got anxious as the father of the children had not returned by then. My friend told them that he might have got up to another coach as the train got started and will come to them in the next stoppage.

However the next stoppage had something different to offer. When the train reached Baragada, some railway officials came to the coach and enquired the lady about her identity and whereabouts. They then asked her to alight along with her children and luggage. The train stopped there for a very long period. On enquiring, my friend understood that at the Hirakud railway station, as the train started to move, the man was trying to get up to the train with both his hands occupied with filled water bottles. Due to slippage and improper hand support, he fell on the track and was instantaneously crushed to death. The ticket he had on his pocket gave clue about his family members, who had only a vast darkness and helplessness left behind by him.

Was it justified to do this unsafe act just for the sake of a Rs. 10.00 water bottle? Probably the answer will be No. But several times we get down the train and get up with large crowds, only when the train starts to pick speed, is that justified any way?

The lady at the Rajamundry railway station was definitely very lucky. She probably got down in absent mind but was having her luck on her sleeves. On slipping at the station she fell straight into the gap between the Platform and the Train. However she didn’t make it to the tracks. A good three coaches had crossed her before the train stopped as some one applied the emergency brakes. She was rescued with minor physical bruises on her body. The incident however must have put a big dent on her mental health, which would take lot many days to heal.

A good crowd was surrounding her. Some were full of advises, some were amused at this great escape and some were just looking at her with mixed feelings. The station superintendent was at his best of enquiries. No one was bothering to understand her psychology nor was trying to get her some medical treatment.