This story is from November 19, 2017

Three women railway workers run over by train, fourth injured

Three women railway workers run over by train, fourth injured
MUMBAI: Three women railway contract labourers were killed and a fourth injured after they were run over by a long-distance train between Malad and Goregaon stations, a little after noon on Saturday. The labourers were headed home after work. One of the deceased is the daughter of the woman who survived with injuries.
The victims were natives of Madhya Pradesh. Their job was to clean the ballast.
At the time of the incident, they were walking on the tracks towards Malad station and were to travel further to Jogeshwari where they all lived.
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“At least 60 labourers were headed home after work. They were walking in small groups. Around 12.20pm, the Bandra Terminus-Indore Holiday Special was on the fifth line when the motorman saw a group of four women walking in a row and honked. The husbands of the two of the victims were walking close to them and raised an alarm. But the women got confused as trains were running on all adjacent platforms. They were crushed by the Holiday Special,” said a GRP official. Cops rushed the victims to the Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital where Anita Shinde, 32, Jaya Khatawase, 35, and Shivani Bhoryalay 18, were pronounced dead. Shivani’s mother, Sunita, 35, survived with serious injuries.
“This incident has not been categorised as trespassing as the victims were crossing tracks from their work site towards an FOB,” said Western Railway chief public relations offier Ravindra Bhakar. “The labourers are adequately insured and the contractor pays them an ex-gratia. The contractor is supposed to sensitise labourers about working conditions here,” he added.
Police said Malad station was only 500 metres from the spot where the victims were knocked down. A farmer, who witnessed the deaths, told the cops he had warned the labourers to pay heed to running trains after he noticed some women pick up twigs from the ground to light a fire at home. “The mishap occurred on an STA (suburban train avoiding track) where long-distance trains ply, near railway pole no. 28/2,” said an official.
Activist Anil Galgali said, “Working conditions are unsafe for railway labourers. Many have perished over the years while working on tracks.”
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