31% of deceased found in suburban railway premises remain unidentified, unclaimed
Mumbai: Around 31% of deceased bodies found within the premises of the Mumbai suburban Railways in the past decade remain unidentified and unclaimed, according to the Government Railway Police (GRP). Thane, India. June 09, 2025: Footwear of victims seen on the railway track at Mumbra Railway Station. Four commuters lost their lives and nine others were injured. The incident occurred when the commuters fell from a train heading to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on June 9, 2025. Thane, India. 09, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)
Responding to a Right To Information (RTI) query filed by Dr Sarosh Mehta, a railways activist, the GRP said that from 2014 to 2024, 18,836 people died on the Central Railways (CR) and 25,846 on the Western Railways (WR). From these, 5,524 on the CR and 8,416 on WR remained unidentified. These numbers add up to over 13,940 unidentified bodies among 44,682 deceased.
GRP data says that on an average at least seven people die on the railway premises everyday. GRP officers said that when they find a dead body on the railway premises, they search the deceased to trace their relatives through identity cards, bank cards, or contacts in their phones.
In the case of an unidentified person, the police circulate a photograph of the deceased across police stations in the state, and police headquarters of other states through their respective director general of police. The photo is also telecasted on Doordarshan in the hope of locating relatives or tracing the next of kin.
GRP officials said that the bodies are kept in the morgue and if they remain unclaimed after 10 days, the finger prints, hair samples, and nails are taken to preserve the identity of the deceased through their DNA. 'It is a challenge to trace the relatives of a drug addict, a beggar, or a mentally challenged person as no document is found on them,' said a police officer from the GRP.
Following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay high court by Sameer Zaveri, a railway activist, the court asked the western and central railways in January 2011 to create websites where they could post details about accident victims. The then GRP commissioner had begun the website http://shodh.gov.in in July 2012 to identify the accident victims, but Mehta said the website hardly made a difference.
Mehta said that without help from the GRP or the railways, relatives would sometimes spend multiple days travelling to hospitals and morgues across the city to find their injured or deceased kin. To solve this problem, Mehta said, 'We just want a desk at a railway station where volunteers can sit with photos of the bodies and direct the relatives to the exact location where their dear one was taken after an accident.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Railway police, Maharashtra Crime Branch crack ₹40-lakh theft in train in 48 hours
New Delhi, In a swift operation, the Railway Protection Force , the Government Railway Police and the local Crime Branch of Maharashtra solved a high-value theft case involving diamond and gold ornaments along with cash worth about ₹ 40 lakh within 48 hours, the Railway Ministry said on Monday. Railway police, Maharashtra Crime Branch crack ₹ 40-lakh theft in train in 48 hours The incident occurred aboard the Indore-Daund Express, in which a 73-year-old lady was travelling from Indore to Lonavala with her husband. Officials said when she woke up in the morning on June 20, the train was about to reach Lonavala and it was then that she realised that her handbag was missing. The bag contained valuable jewellery, including a diamond bracelet, diamond necklace, rings, gold watch, gold chain and ₹ 50,000 in cash worth a total of about ₹ 40 lakh. "She immediately called the Indian Railways helpline number 139 and an FIR was lodged with GRP Lonavala. The GRP, RPF and railway officials made different teams and sent them to different stations where the train stopped," the officials said. Police officials said the RPF and the GRP scanned the CCTV footage of all the stations through which the train passed. It has a long route passing through several stations such as Indore, Dewas, Ujjain, Nagda, Khachrod, Ratlam, Meghnagar, Dahod, Godhra, Vadodara, Surat, Vasai Road, Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan, Karjat, Lonavala, Chinchwad, Pune and Daund. "It was found that one person deboarded the train at Kalyan and did not come out of the station in time. Further, he was tracked. At one probable location, he kept himself very watchful and was looking for dodging police as well as the cameras," the press note said. "On further investigation, it was found that he was a habitual thief and was on bail for the last 15 days. Police raided his premises and found all the valuables. Based on this lead, a team of investigators traced the accused, Mahesh Arun Ghag alias Vicky, a resident of Chembur, Mumbai." The entire stolen property was successfully recovered and handed over to the family. "This case underscores Indian Railways' and Maharashtra police's strong commitment to passenger safety and swift criminal response. Passengers are advised to remain vigilant during travel and immediately report suspicious activity to railway staff or helpline 139," the ministry said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
United News of India
4 hours ago
- United News of India
SC appreciates Tamil Nadu's use of preventive detention laws against cybercrime offenders
New Delhi, Jun 23 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday commended the State of Tamil Nadu for invoking preventive detention laws to tackle cybercrime, describing it as a "welcome trend" in combating growing digital frauds. A Bench comprising Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the observation while hearing a petition challenging the preventive detention of one Abhijeet Singh, a cybercrime accused. Singh's detention under the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act, 1982, had earlier been upheld by the Madras High Court. "This is a good trend coming from the State , that preventive detention laws are being used against cyber offenders. It's a very welcome approach. Normal criminal laws are not proving successful against these offenders," remarked Justice Mehta during the hearing. The petitioner, Singh's father, argued that the detention order was unconstitutional and violated Article 22(5) of the Constitution. He contended that the alleged cyber fraud was a one-off incident and did not disturb public order. He also claimed that the notice for the Advisory Board hearing was served too close to the hearing date, preventing the detenu from making an effective representation. Singh, a Punjab native residing in New Delhi, was arrested on July 25, 2024, following a complaint of a cyber fraud amounting to Rs 84.5 lakh lodged at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Theni district. The complainant, Bhanumathi, alleged that Rs 12.14 lakh was transferred into Singh's account operated under the entity name M/s Creative Craaft. Investigations revealed that Singh had floated four companies and opened multiple bank accounts in the names of his family members to route the fraudulent funds. The District Collector issued the detention order on August 23, 2024, which was subsequently confirmed by the Advisory Board on September 25, and by the State Government for a 12-month period on November 9, 2024. The petitioner's counsel argued that Singh had no prior criminal record and emphasised that preventive detention for the maximum period was unjustified. In response, Justice Mehta observed, 'That is the discretion of the State. The period of detention cannot be decided by the court in writ jurisdiction. "If there is no basis for detention, the order itself has to go, the period cannot be curtailed independently.' The Court took note of the counter affidavit filed by the State and directed the Registry to upload it on record. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Earlier, the Madras High Court had dismissed the habeas corpus petition, holding that the detention order was backed by sufficient material, the procedures were duly followed, and there was no legal infirmity to warrant interference. UNI SNG
NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
Video: Man Thrashed On Vande Bharat After Refusing Seat To BJP MLA
New Delhi: A passenger on the Delhi-Bhopal Vande Bharat train was allegedly thrashed after he refused to switch his seat with a BJP MLA. The incident took place last Thursday when BJP's Rajeev Singh, a legislator from Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi, was travelling to his constituency with his wife and son. Mr Singh reportedly got a seat in the back of the train compartment, while his family members were seated in the front, next to the man who allegedly refused to switch his seat. The situation escalated when some men, allegedly linked to Mr Singh, boarded the train at Jhansi station and thrashed the man, who was travelling to Bhopal. A video that has gone viral shows about half a dozen men raining punches on the passenger while he was in his seat. They were also seen using slippers to assault him. The video also shows blood oozing from his nose and his clothes soaked in blood. Railway Superintendent of Police (Jhansi) Vipul Kumar Srivastava has confirmed that the altercation occurred over changing seats. Speaking to reporters, he said appropriate action will be taken based on CCTV footage. The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Jhansi said they have registered a non-cognizable report (NCR) after they received a complaint from Mr Singh. In his complaint, Mr Singh alleged that while travelling with his wife and son, a co-passenger behaved indecently, the news agency PTI reported. When objected, the man allegedly misbehaved with his family and later called others at Jhansi station, who also behaved in an abusive manner.
