Mumbai stampede: Citizens move court against Railways

Shiv Kumar

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Tribune News Service

Mumbai, October 3

Citizens are resorting to Public Interest Litigation petitions against the Indian Railways following Friday’s stampede at the Elphinstone Road railway station here which claimed 23 lives.

According to sources, at least three PILs have been filed so far with the first petition being placed before the courts hours after the tragedy.

One of the petitioners, Pradeep Bhalekar, a city resident, moved the Bombay High Court seeking the arrest of Railway officials on charges of negligence and culpable homicide following the stampede deaths.

According to Bhalekar’s advocate Nitin Satpute, the petition also wants a court supervised inquiry into the incident.

The petitioner stated that the issue of the narrow foot overbridge on Elphinstone Road railway station had been raised by citizens over the years, but no action was taken by either the Railways or the government.

A fresh petition filed today wanted the National Investigation Agency to probe whether the stampede was an act of “soft terror”.

The petition filed by two perfumes traders, Faisal Banaraswala and Abdul Qureshi, has been posted for urgent hearing on October 5, according to sources.

Banaraswala (47), who calls himself a social worker, said rumours of the bridge collapse and a short circuit which allegedly led to the stampede were employed for soft terror attacks.

His advocates mentioned the PIL before Justice Bhushan Gavai and sought an early hearing in the matter.

Banaraswala is said to have filed a complaint with the Mumbai police alleging that the stampede was a case of terrorism.

Meanwhile, sources in the Railways said 13 safety audit teams have fanned across the suburban train network in Mumbai to look into the problems of crowding and dispersal of commuters during peak hours.

These teams are shooting video footage at major railway stations and are expected to submit their report in the next fortnight, according to sources.