KOLKATA: Five persons, including four school students and a bicycle rider, were killed and several others were injured after a passenger train rammed into a school van at an allegedly open level crossing in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Friday morning.
The gateman has been arrested by police in connection with the incident. Violent locals had locked him inside the railway cabin, alleging that he was in a drunken state while on duty.
The railway authorities have announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. The state government also announced Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased.
The accident occurred early this morning at a rail gate between Karna-Subarna station of the Azimganj-Katwa division and the Gobindapur level crossing in Murshidabad district, around 200 km away from Kolkata.
The five other injured, four students and the driver of the school van, were rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Sources feared that the death toll might increase.
Railway authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, with the conduct of the railway gateman coming under scrutiny following allegations of negligence.
According to railway officials, the school van was ferrying students to school when it attempted to cross the tracks at the rail gate and was hit by the Nimtita-Katowa local passenger train.
Locals alleged that the Gobindapur rail gate was not closed by the gateman on duty soon after the Howrah-bound Nabadwip Express train passed the station.
The school van was crossing the rail gate around 7 am when its driver saw that the gate was open. By this time, the speeding Nimtita-Katowa local train arrived and rammed the school van, which was virtually crushed within a few seconds.
Four persons, including three schoolchildren, died on the spot, while the other succumbed to injuries at the hospital.
Police from Behrampore police station rushed to the spot and rescued four other students and the driver. They were taken to the state-run Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in Behrampore in critical condition.
Locals alleged that the negligence of the railway authorities caused the fatal accident. Eyewitnesses alleged that the gateman was responsible for the incident because he failed to close the rail gate soon after the Howrah-bound Nabadwip Express train passed the station.
"The pool car, carrying the students to school, was crossing the rail lines at the level crossing gate near Karna Subarna station, about 48 km from Katwa, when the local train hit the vehicle," a railway official said.
Senior police and railway officials reached the accident site soon after the mishap.
A 10-member railway team has been constituted to investigate the cause of the accident, while authorities are also probing allegations of negligence on the part of the railway gateman.
"The level crossing gate was reported to be open when the accident took place," the railway official said.
The accident also disrupted train services on the Azimganj-Katwa section of Eastern Railway's Howrah division.
The incident triggered outrage among local residents, who demanded strict action against those responsible for the alleged safety lapse at the level crossing.
Railway authorities said a formal investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances leading to the fatal collision.
Expressing shock, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari wrote on X today, "Deeply saddened by the tragic train accident in Murshidabad this morning."
Suvendu also assured "strictest possible action" against those responsible for the deaths of five people, including schoolchildren.
"Negligence will not be tolerated. The railway gateman has already been arrested by the state police. A thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident will be conducted and I assure the people of West Bengal that the strictest possible action will be taken against those found responsible," he wrote on X.
Former Congress MP from Behrampore Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury visited the spot and accused the railway authorities of the accident.
The Congress leader raised questions, saying, "Why did the gateman open the gate when he knew that the train is coming? It's sheer negligence of the gateman as well as the railway authorities."
