NEW DELHI, Nov 11: A 40-year-old man died while two other passengers had to be hospitalised in a virtual stampede after a chaotic condition occurred at the Surat railway station in Gujarat on Saturday when passengers were trying to force their entry into compartments for boarding a Bihar-bound special train to attend the upcoming “Chhath” festival.
Authorities have identified the victim as Ankit Virendra Singh.
Passengers rushed to board the Tapti Ganga Express train, which originate from Surat and destined to Varanasi, in the morning, causing chaos in which some people fainted, Superintendent of Police (Western Railway) Sarjo Kumari said. There was a huge rush at the railway station, because of which some passengers suffered panic attacks and dizziness, she said.
One of the passengers suffered a heart complication, and a policeman present on the platform performed CPR on him before he was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance, the official said. “One man fell due to crowding and was declared brought dead. The exact cause of death will be ascertained in the post-mortem. Two other passengers suffered breathlessness and are undergoing treatment,” said Jayesh Patel, the resident medical officer of SMIMER Hospital.
Many workers engaged in the diamond and textile industries in Surat travel to their hometowns in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for “Chhath” puja. Talking to reporters in Navasari, the Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said the police tried their best to control the crowd after a sudden increase in the number of passengers on the platform to board the Bihar-bound train.
The Western Railway, in a statement, said it has taken special measures given the rush during the festive season, such as operating special trains from Surat and Udhna and deploying personnel from the Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force for security and crowd management.
The Western Railway is running 400 trips of 46 pairs of special trains to various destinations, of which 27 pairs are either originating or passing through Surat and Udhna railway stations, it stated.
(Manas Dasgupta)