29-07-2025
Only 1,400 families of 26,547 railway accident victims have received compensation in 10 years
MUMBAI: Families of only 1,408 of the 26,547 people who died while travelling on Mumbai's suburban railway network in the past 10 years have been compensated. This was revealed in a Right to Information (RTI) query from Indian Railways by activist Godfrey Pimenta recently. Jiten fell to his death while boarding an overcrowded CST-bound train in Kalwa, in 2012
More than 70 lakh passengers travel by local trains – considered Mumbai's lifeline -- every day. The deaths are caused by overcrowding – as was the case on June 9 when two overcrowded trains passed one another near Mumbra station, leading to five people falling off and losing their lives -- or by passengers getting trapped in the gap between the platform and the train. Crossing tracks irresponsibly or stampede, such as the one on September 29, 2017, at the Elphinstone Road Railway Station, where 22 people were killed, are other occurrences that lead to deaths.
On an average, at least eight people die in such incidents on all three railway lines in Mumbai every day, which is not surprising as a single coach is packed with 1,800 passengers -- two to three times over its actual capacity.
However, only a fraction of families of the dead have received compensation from the railways in the last decade. The maximum compensation given to a family is ₹8 lakh. The railways has spent ₹103.71 crore to pay families of 1,408 deceased passengers between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2025, whereas 494 injured have received financial assistance of ₹14.24 crore in this duration.
Siddhesh Desai, vice president of Mumbai Railway Pravasi Sangh, a body that works to solve passengers' issues, said, 'The tragic deaths are not mere statistics – they represent systemic neglect by authorities responsible for ensuring commuter safety. They can be prevented with better infrastructure and governance.'
Madhu Kotian, member of a railway passengers' association, said, 'Delay in justice is unacceptable. Railway accident victims and their families deserve dignity and timely support. We urgently need to fast-track compensation claims with strict timelines, set up more benches of the Railway Claims Tribunal in Mumbai, fix accountability on the Railway, Government Railway Police (GRP), and other relevant agencies to curb safety lapses, and ensure timely completion of pending projects, foolproof fencing, foot-overbridges and widening platforms.'
Sixty-six-year-old A P Wara, whose son Jiten fell to his death while boarding an overcrowded CST-bound train in Kalwa, in 2012, has been struggling to get compensation for the last 13 years. Twenty-nine-year-old Jiten worked at Thomas Cook in Nariman Point.
'I lost my son due to overcrowding, but the Railway Claims Tribunal suspected it to be a case of suicide, as no witness came forward to confirm the incident. I was made to go to the tribunal several times and submit various documents,' said Wara, adding that while her husband was alive 'he would make the rounds of the courts, which I have taken over since his death in 2022'.
Twenty-two-year-old Neha Trivedi, who was on her way to work in Vile Parle from Jogeshwari in 2013, was pushed off an overcrowded platform onto the tracks and was hit by a local, leading to her death, said her father Ram Trivedi, 58, a daily wage worker.
'We have been making the rounds of the tribunal for compensation. Neha was the only steady earning member of our house and the compensation money would have helped us educate our younger daughter,' said Trivedi.
'We have now lost all hope and stopped going to the tribunal as we cannot afford the commute just to return empty handed,' said Trivedi, adding that the lawyer representing him has assured justice will prevail. 'Although we know that it is of no use we are still hoping,' he said.
'Despite an increase in the ex-gratia relief by Indian Railways – from the earlier ₹50,000 to ₹8 lakh – the enhancement only seems more symbolic than substantial given the magnitude of loss and suffering experienced by victims' families. Even the revised amounts fail to match rising living costs and emotional toll on families. More worryingly, disparities persist across different states and incidents, leading to unequal pay outs for victims who deserve the same protection under the law,' said Pimenta.
