A 26-year-old woman lost her life after falling off a moving fast local train on April 29, around 8.30am, between Kopar and Diva railway stations. The victim, Riya Rajgor, was standing in the doorway as the train was crowded. The police filed an accidental death report, and her mortal remains were handed over to her parents after post-mortem.
According to the railway police, Riya resided with her parents and a brother in Dombivali East. She worked with a construction company in Thane and commuted daily from Dombivli to Thane, often taking the fast Dombivali-CSMT local.
On Monday, she attempted to board the fast local’s ladies’ compartment but couldn’t make it inside. As the train left Kopar station at high speed, she slipped and fell, resulting in fatal head injuries. She was rushed to the government hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
This incident marks the second death due to overcrowding in local trains within a week. On April 23, a 25-year-old IT professional Avadhesh fell from an overcrowded local train between Diva and Mumbra stations. Avadhesh, from Dombivali’s Thakurwadi area, was pursuing a PG degree in IT from IIT-Patna through distance learning. He boarded a fast local from Dombivali during morning rush hours and fell between Diva and Mumbra stations.
Lata Argade, the secretary of the Suburban Railway Pravasi Mahasangh, expressed concern, saying, “A local train passes every three minutes, but the railway administration doesn’t operate them as planned. They need to meet with commuter organisations to understand their needs. Innocent commuters, especially young people, are losing their lives due to mismanagement or lack of planning in operating local trains. The state government must find a solution to manage and control crowds, or else the situation could worsen.”
She further noted, “There’s a curve between Kopar and Diva. When the local train heads towards CSMT, it leans left, and when it travels towards Dombivali, it leans right. This has been brought to their attention.”
