Local residents protest over man’s death in train accident

Train services in the main line of the Sealdah Division were disrupted when local residents blocked the Railway tracks at Halisahar station in North 24-parganas following the death of a 35-year-old man after being hit by a train.

Police said the victim Laltu Pal was a resident of Subhasnagar at Halisahar. He was a temporary employee of Halisahar Municipality. 

On Monday morning, Pal was hit by Sealdah bound Shantipur local train at 8.30 am when he was crossing the railway tracks at Halisahar station. After the train passed, he realised that he lost both of his legs. People, who were standing at the platforms, rushed to the spot hearing his cry for help. He was lying in a pool of blood on the tracks. The local people went to the office of the station manager and sought his help to arrange an ambulance. At the same time the local people urged the station master not allow any other train to pass through the same tracks. 

Before the station manager could have managed restricting the train service, a Sealdah bound Gede local train approached on the same tracks. 

The victim was sitting just beside the tracks when the train approached. He jumped on to the tracks considering that it is useless to continue living when he had already lost his legs. “He was crying that it is painful to continue living after losing both of his legs,” said Manoj Maity, a local resident.  He was killed after being run over by the Sealdah bound Gede local.

After the incident, local residents blocked the railway tracks at 9 am which continued for around 2 hours. Several local trains remained stranded for hours at different stations. 

The agitation was withdrawn after senior police officers intervened and spoke to Pal’s wife. Pal is also survived by a 5-year-old daughter.