Behrampore: Four schoolchildren aged between seven and nine were killed when a passenger train rammed a pool car ferrying seven students at the Gobindapur railway gate near Karnasubarna station in Murshidabad on Friday morning. A 65-year-old cyclist, too, died on being knocked down by the train.Three other students and the driver of the pool car — a Tata Sumo — were hospitalised. Officials said the condition of the driver and one of the students was critical.Anup Karmakar, who was manning the gate at the level crossing on the Katwa-Azimganj section, has been arrested. Two track supervisors have been suspended.A preliminary probe corroborated statements by eyewitnesses that Karmakar had opened the level crossing gate after Nabadwip Dham Express passed through the Up line and a Nimtita-Katwa local was approaching through the Down line. The pool car and the cyclist entered the level crossing after the gate opened, but got trapped on the tracks as Karmakar, alerted by the horn of the approaching local train, promptly closed the gate again.The train mowed them down at 6.41 am.The railways issued a statement saying, “After Train No. 13431 passed in the Up direction, the gate was opened and the school van entered the crossing, where it was struck by the approaching Nimtita-Katwa Passenger train.”CM Suvendu Adhikari said a “human error” caused the deaths. “The gateman has been arrested. I have directed police to medically examine whether he was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. This is an unpardonable crime.” In a post on X, he said, “Negligence will not be tolerated. A thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident will be conducted and I assure the people of West Bengal that the strictest possible action will be taken against those found responsible.”The car was flung about 50 metre after being hit by the train, witnesses said. Residents rushed the students, driver and the cyclist to Karnasubarna Block Hospital in a Toto, from where all but two students were shifted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) in Behrampore, around 10km away.Farhana Sultana (7), Jesica Yasmin (9) and cyclist Jamshed Ali were declared dead on arrival at MMCH. Isanur Rahaman (9) and Tamanna Parvin (8) died in the hospital’s ICU. Driver Mosharaf Molla and Anisha Khatun (8) are in a critical condition at the medical college. Two other students, Bisweswar Mondal and Shamina Khatun, are under treatment at Karnasubarna Block Hospital.The railways announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the each of the five deceased. The state govt announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for each bereaved family.The accident sparked outrage with a mob surrounding the gateman’s cabin, forcing Anup Karmakar to lock himself in. Another group blocked the tracks. The protesters assaulted the gateman while he was being rescued by police. A large contingent comprising cops from the Karnasubarna police outpost, and Berhampore, Shaktipur and Kandi police stations was sent to the spot, along with BSF and RPF personnel.Murshidabad SP Sachin Makkar calmed the crowd by assuring them that those responsible for the tragedy will get “exemplary” punishment. Locals complained that the gateman was frequently drunk and was also addicted to ganja. Eastern Railway dispatched a probe team.The accident disrupted train services. The Nimtita-Katwa train that hit the car and the cyclist was halted at Karnasubarna station from 6.47 am to 10.35 am. The Howrah-bound Intercity Express from Malda was stranded at Manigram station and the Katwa-Azimganj Passenger was stuck at Chowrigachha.Class II student Shreya Dutta had a narrow escape after her mother decided not to send her to school on Friday. She would otherwise have been travelling in the pool car that met with the accident. “I heard about the accident when my grandmother called up my mother to ask whether I was in the pool car,” the girl said. Her mother, Suchismita, said, “My daughter has been in shock since hearing about the accident.”Residents said a similar accident had occurred two decades ago at an unmanned level crossing less than a kilometre from Friday’s accident spot. An SUV returning from a bride’s house at midnight was hit by an express train, resulting in the death of six people. The tragedy prompted the railway authorities to install a barrier at the crossing.
