Alipurduar: A 55-year-old school headmistress was killed after being hit by a train while crossing railway tracks in Alipurduar town on Wednesday morning.
The incident took place around 11:05 a.m. when the down Bamanhat–Siliguri Passenger train struck Samapti Acharya, headmistress of Alipurduar R.R. Vidyapith. She was returning to school after purchasing midday meal supplies near Lebu Bagan when the accident occurred. The impact threw her several metres away.
She was rushed to Alipurduar District Hospital in critical condition, where doctors declared her dead.
The incident has renewed concerns over unsafe railway crossings in the town. Along the 7-km stretch in Alipurduar town in the Alipurduar Junction to New Cooch Behar track, several unmanned crossings force residents to cross tracks at risky points.
The tragedy has sparked a political controversy ahead of the Assembly elections. Trinamool Congress leader Saurav Chakraborty blamed the Railways, citing unfulfilled promises to shift the railway line. BJP MP Manoj Tigga said a proposal had already been submitted and survey work initiated, adding that such projects take time. GRP Inspector of Alipurduar Junction, Anup Ghosh, said preliminary findings suggest that the victim was crossing the tracks absent-mindedly. “Despite warnings from people present at the spot, she did not respond, which led to the accident,” he added.