5 dead as train hits car at crossing in West Bengal

At least five people, including four school girls and a cyclist, were on Friday killed when a speeding train rammed against school van at a manned railway crossing near Karna Subarna of Behrampore in Murshidabad district, the railway police said, adding gateman Anupam Karmakar was instantly suspended by the authorities for dereliction of duty and subsequently arrested.

The incident occurred at around 7 in the morning locals said, when the Nimtita-Katwa local passenger train hit a pool car crossing the Gobindopur railway gate. The driver of the mangled vehicle, which was dragged several metres away by the train, was not at fault, locals said, adding the gateman had left the gates open for road traffic.

While three persons died on the spot, two succumbed in the hospital while being treated in the ICU, sources said.

“He is a drunkard and regularly does so and repeated complaints to the authorities would not yield any result,” one of the villagers said, adding the negligent gateman was locked inside his cabin and later handed over to the police in a drunken state.

Another railway staff had also been suspended following complaints from the local villagers.

Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari immediately sent two of his ministerial colleagues to the spot and warned that his administration would tolerate no negligence and if found guilty, the erring staff would be criminally punished.

“I have been told that the police have already been arrested the gateman… I have told them not to tolerate any negligence… it is a shocking news… that we lost four little ones… four innocent school children… the Government will take strictest possible action,” the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, both the Indian Railways and the State administration announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for the kin of the deceased.