Recently a terrible incident occurred in Bihar in which a 35-year-old railway employee died. He was crushed to death after he became trapped between the train’s engine and coach during a shunting operation at the Barauni Junction railway station in the Begusarai area.
According to sources, the deceased identified as Amar Kumar was decoupling the engine after the termination of the Lucknow-Barauni Express (train no: 15204) at Barauni Junction on Saturday. During the decoupling process, the train driver unexpectedly reversed the engine, resulting in Amar getting stuck. The railway official died on the spot. On being alerted by passengers, the driver switched off the engine and fled from the spot.
A video of the incident shows Amar stuck between the engine and the power car of the train parked at platform no. 5 of Barauni Junction. On receiving the information about the incident, senior officials of Sonpur Railway Division reached the spot and ordered an inquiry into the incident.
In response to the incident, DRM Sonpur said, this is an unfortunate incident that shouldn’t happen at a workplace. We have ordered an immediate officer-level inquiry into the matter. We have released the funeral allowance to the victim’s family and Amar’s family will be compensated as per service rules.
“Action will be taken against the accused after the inquiry is completed and corrective measures will be taken,” the DRM said. The safety protocols for train operation were also discussed at a meeting of all departments at Barauni Junction.
To conduct an in-depth assessment, a group of technical specialists has gone to the location. Officials have assured the public that they would look into whether the right procedures were followed and whether the unfortunate occurrence was caused by any training or equipment maintenance flaws.
To avoid miscommunication, the railway authorities are also trying to enhance the crew-ground personnel communication mechanisms during train operations. The investigation will also look into the potential use of more sophisticated safety equipment to safeguard railway workers while shunting is underway.
