KOLKATA: A day after 16 migrants were crushed to death by a goods train in Maharashtra, a group of 24 labourers walking along the railway tracks in West Bengal’s Birbhum district had a narrow escape as the driver of an inspection carriage spotted the group and slammed the emergency brakes.
The rake came to a screeching halt a few metres from the group. The incident took place near Nalhati railway station, around 240 km from Kolkata. The group of migrants came from Sahibganj in Jharkhand to work as agricultural labourers in Burdwan district.
"They were living in shanties and running short of money to secure a single-course meal a day. They decided to return home and arrived at Tarapith in a truck. From there, they decided to walk a stretch of 170 km to return home," said a Birbhum Police officer.
The labourers told police that they had started walking along the railway tracks after sunset to avoid the scorching heat. "Since the tracks are in use for the movement of goods train, an inspection carriage was assigned to check the condition of the tracks and overhead wires. The motorman spotted the group walking along the middle of the track and applied the emergency brakes," said the officer.
The government railway police took the labourers to a relief camp where they were medically examined. "We would like to request not to walk along the railway tracks," Trinamool MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar said.