WB: Train service in South-Eastern section hit due to blockade over death of a man in Mecheda

According to reports, a middle-aged cyclist was killed in the morning after being knocked down by an EMU train while he was trying to cross rail line near Mecheda station.

"A nearly 45-year-old man, who has been identified as Sheikh Alam, was hit by Santragachi to Mecheda bound EMU local (38301) train at around 7:30 am. while he was crossing railway tracks near Mecheda railway station and he died on spot," a Government Railway Police (GRP) official told IBNS.

Local police said that Sheikh Alam was a resident of nearby Purbba Bahala village and he was working under a contractor at Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant.

Following the accident, locals had started agitation at the area and blocked railway tracks near Mecheda station, disrupting rail service during the peak office hours.

"After being knocked down by the train, the man was seriously injured and we had asked the rail police to take him to hospital. Firstly, they prevented us to rescue the injured cyclist and took hours to reach the spot," an agitator claimed.

"Nearly after an hour, railway's rescue team along with Railway Protection Force (RPF) men reached the scene. But it was too late, the injured man died without any treatment on the spot," he added.

Claiming that railway's negligence in rescuing the injured man from the track was responsible for his death, locals had stopped trains in Up and Down both directions, and allegedly pelted stones aiming at trains, security personnel and reporters who were covering the incident.      

Denying the allegations against them, a spokesperson of SE Railway told IBNS, "Besides blocking railway tracks from 7:40 am, agitators threw stones aiming at trains and tried to attack RPF and GRP personnel."

"They also impeded railway's rescue team from removing the body from the track. Our force handled the situation very calmly," the spokesperson said.

According to SE Railway officials, due to the hour-long blockade, at least 19 suburban EMU and passengers trains and 10 mail/express trains were detained at different stations for hours when Howrah-Digha-Howrah Kandari Express (22897/22898) in both directions was cancelled for Friday. 

"Five mail/express trains in Down line, including Bengaluru-Guwahati Express, Tatanagar-Howrah Steel Express, Chennai Central-Santragachi AC Express, Purulia-Howrah Express and Asansol-Haldia Express, and five other trains in Up line, including Howrah-Digha Tamralipta Express, Howrah-Titlagarh Ispat Express, Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, Shalimar-Bhojudih Aranyak Express and Howrah-CSMT Duronto Express, were halted at various stations for hours during the blockade," an official of SE Railway said.

Agitators, however, withdrew the blockade at around 11:55 am. after a discussion with the local authorities.

"We have demanded a subway at the area that local people can use the underpass to cross railway tracks safely and we have also claimed a job for the next kin to the deceased," a protester said.

"As local authorities asserted us to consider our demands, we decided to call off the blockade," the man added.

A railway official said that normal service resumed in Howrah-Kharagpur division after the blockade was withdrawn.

"After the public blockade was called off at 11:55 am, we removed the body from the track and resumed normal train service after 12 pm," a SER spokesperson said.