Woman dragged to death while boarding train

She was stuck between platform and train, help reaches in 10 minutes

Barely three months after a man was killed when he got stuck between a platform and a train at Nizamuddin railway station, a 26-year-old woman met the same fate at the Subzi Mandi railway station on Tuesday.

Seema, 26, of Kishanganj in central Delhi, slipped and got stuck between a footboard and the platform while boarding a moving Kurukshetra-bound train. She was dragged on for 15 feet. The train came to halt after her husband Vikash raised an alarm.

Railway officials said medical help from the railway health unit at Kishanganj reached the victim within 10 minutes. She received major injuries in the chest.

“An ambulance with a doctor reached the station. But it took some time to rescue her,” said Y S Rajput, senior PRO, Delhi division.

“It took half-an-hour to pull her out after breaking the platform surface. She was rushed to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, where she died,” said B S Gurjar, Additional DCP (railways).   
Seema, an Aanganwadi worker, was boarding the train for Kheda Kalan. Railway officials said the coach under which she fell was second from the guard’s coach, which helped the guard to respond at the earliest.

“Her body will be handed over to her family after a post-mortem,” police said.  

24x7 service not available
The railway still have to get their act together on providing immediate medical attention to the passengers concerned.

Despite repeated incidents of death of passengers - either due to accidents or due to illness at stations, the railways board is still to clear the proposal to provide a round-the-clock doctor and ambulance service at the five major railway stations in the capital.
A 36-year-old man died on November 17 last year as he lay stuck between a platform and a train for 85 minutes at Nizamuddin railway station.

Another 35-year-old man died after suffering a stroke last week, moments after he boarded a train at New Delhi Railway station.

The Northern Railway had announced providing emergency services at the five major stations after the Nizamuddin incident.

“The major stations have been provided with all necessary medical facilities for giving first-aid to passengers. As far as providing permanent doctor and ambulance service at the stations is concerned, a proposal has been sent by the Delhi Division to the railways board. A clearance from the board is awaited,” said S K Sharma, CPRO, Northern Railways.

However, he contended that ambulance service is available at New Delhi and Nizamuddin stations whenever required.

He added that the railways are focussing on strengthening the system further.
“In case of emergency, like accident or passengers suffering with serious illness, the focus is always on shifting the patients to the nearest hospital. The staff members would also be trained to improve their response time in case of emergency,” the CPRO added.