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Maharashtra

Thane–Dombivli Train Accidents: Injuries Surge Despite Decline In Deaths On Central Railway’s Busiest Stretch

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Mumbai: Even as fatalities due to passengers falling from overcrowded suburban trains on the Thane–Dombivli stretch have declined in recent years, injuries have spiked dramatically, triggering fresh alarm over commuter safety on one of Central Railway’s busiest and most dangerous corridors. Between January 2014 and December 2024, a staggering 1,025 passengers lost their lives and 1,829 were injured after falling from moving trains on this stretch.

The latest incident occurred on June 27, when a 21-year-old man died after falling from a moving train, nearly a kilometre away from the site of the Mumbra train tragedy reported on June 9th.

Decline in Fatalities, But Injuries on the Rise

The number of fatalities has shown a slight but consistent decline—from 152 in 2014 to 145 in 2022, then down to 112 in 2023 and 107 in 2024. While this suggests some improvements—possibly due to infrastructure upgrades and greater public awareness—the injury data paints a more concerning picture.

Injuries had decreased steadily from 259 in 2014 to 106 in 2022. However, 2023 saw an alarming reversal, with 144 injuries reported. This trend worsened in 2024, with 203 passengers injured—marking the highest number in nearly a decade.

Officials have pointed to overcrowding and changing commuter habits as the primary reasons behind the rising injury count. “If we compare the Thane–Dombivli stretch with the situation in 2014, there has been an increase of more than 25% in carrying capacity,” said one senior railway official. “But overcrowding during peak hours remains a critical challenge.”

A major shift in how passengers carry their belongings is also under scrutiny. “Earlier, passengers used to carry bags in hand or on one shoulder, which took up less space. Now, the use of backpacks—which take up nearly double the space—has become widespread, further reducing available space and leading to dangerous crowding at train doors,” the official added.

Debate Over Track Design

Around 15-kilometre Thane-Dombivli strech is considered one of the most accident-prone stretches in Mumbai’s suburban rail network. Several passenger rights activists blame poor track design and sharp curves—especially between Diva- Mumbra- Kalwa—for contributing to accidents.

Advocate Deepak Dubey, who lost his brother in April 2024 between Diva and Mumbra , said, “The railway must conduct safety audits and consider modern design solutions such as tunnels or flyovers to replace these outdated curves.”

Activist Siddhesh Desai argued that traditional track design no longer aligns with the realities of Mumbai’s overcrowded trains. “Curves are calculated based on ideal speed and load conditions. These assumptions break down under the pressure of extreme crowding, making doorways perilous zones,” he said.

Railway veterans, however, dispute the notion that poor track design is responsible. Former Central Railway General Manager Subodh Jain said, “It’s incorrect to claim that jerks on curves are the cause of falls. Modern railway curves are designed with transitions and compensations for centrifugal force.”

Jain emphasized that the core issue is passengers standing precariously at the edges of overfilled compartments. “The real danger comes from passengers being forced to hang out of doors due to lack of space, not from any flaw in track geometry,” he said.

Maharashtra

Gadchiroli : After the surrender of commander Bhupati alias Sanu and 60 Maoists with weapons, the Naxalites got a shock, confidence in government was restored : Devendra Fadnavis

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Mumbai: The end of Maoists in Maharashtra is near. In Gudchiroli, a prominent Maoist, Venugopal Malujo alias Bhupati alias Sonu, who was active in many places, has surrendered along with his associates. 60 Maoists have surrendered before the Gudchiroli police, which is a big success for the Maharashtra Police. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the Naxalites have been eliminated from the state’s Gadchiroli area and many Maoists have surrendered and they have returned to the right path and normal life. Their faith in the Constitution of India and the administration has been restored. It is a great blessing that the Naxalites have been eliminated from the state. Soon, the 10 to 15 Maoists who are hiding in the forests will also surrender. He said that Bhupati had expressed his desire to surrender. The police were in touch with him and then he expressed his desire that he wanted to surrender to me. So I said that I am ready to go to the forest too. But Bhupati was brought here and today Bhupati has surrendered. This is a big success. With the efforts of the central and state governments, the Naxalites have now become unstable and weak, which is why many Naxalites have surrendered before.

Fadnavis has said that the red terror has ended, the surrender of Naxalites from the borders around Gudchiroli is certain, due to the crackdown on Maoists from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and other borders, Maoists have either surrendered or repented from Naxalism to a large extent. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah’s dream of a Pakistan-India relationship with the Naxalites is being realized in shame. Bhupati was a Maoist who was the backbone and ideological ideology of the Maoists. His surrender will further strengthen the police operation. He said that it is the result of the hard work of all the senior officers including Maharashtra Police DGP Rashmi Shukla and the officers involved in the Naxal operation that the Maoists’ back has been broken today. Fadnavis said that there was a reward of Rs 6 crore on the Naxalites and now this Maoist has been brought back to the right path.

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Maharashtra

Firing in Ghatkopar : Armed man enters Darshan Jewellers, creating sensation in the area, police are actively searching for the accused.

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Mumbai: A shooting incident in Ghatkopar, Mumbai has created a sensation. A shooting incident was carried out here for robbery, after which the police reached the spot and conducted a panchanama. An armed man entered a shop in Ghatkopar Darshan Jewellers to commit a robbery. There, he put a knife to the throat of the complainant and fled. The police have started an investigation into the matter and have started searching for the unknown robbers. DCP Rakesh Ola said that an armed man had entered the shop and threatened the complainant by putting a knife to his throat. After the entry of armed unknown persons into Darshan Jewellers, a sensation spread in the area and questions have been raised about law and order. The shooting at 10:30 am has caused panic in the area. The police have formed teams in this matter and have started searching for the unknown robbers. So far, no one has been arrested in this case. At present, the police have refused to say anything more about this. DCP Rakesh Ola denied the shooting incident and said that the gunman at Darshan Jewellers had targeted the complainant and put a knife to his throat. The police are investigating the matter further.

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Maharashtra

Hafiz Tauseef Ansari arrested for links to Pakistani terrorist organization, other terrorist organizations mislead and trap youth: Investigative agencies claim

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After a raid by the Andhra Police ATS and the local police station in Malegaon, Mumbai, the police have claimed to have arrested a suspected youth from the Nomani Nagar area. The above-mentioned youth was active on social media and along with his activities on social media, he was in contact with the enemy country Pakistani terrorist organization. The accused has been arrested on this allegation. Along with this, a case has also been registered against the accused in the Dharmapur Town Police Station in Andhra. Maharashtra ATS and intelligence agencies have also interrogated him. The accused has been identified as Hafiz Tauseef Aslam Ansari. He is a tailor by profession and was also active on social media. Whether he came in contact with the Pakistani terrorist organization knowingly or intentionally, or he knew about it, the police are investigating him. The arrest of Hafiz Tauseef has created a sensation in Malegaon. After the arrest of Tauseef in Malegaon, the police have also seized his mobile phone and other documents and have also expanded the scope of the investigation. An investigation is underway to determine whether he has any criminal case registered against him, along with his suspicious activities and the number of times he has provided information related to India to terrorist organizations. His social media accounts are also being examined and monitored. Earlier, the Maharashtra ATS had arrested several youths, including a young PIO on charges of having links with Pakistani intelligence operatives. Many youths have also been trapped in the PIO’s honey trap. The PIO’s method is such that first the PIO regularly talks to an Indian citizen and the girl then makes her pictures and pornographic videos public. After threatening to make the pornographic chat public, they lure him with money and transfer money to the account. In such a situation, the intelligence agencies are obliged to take action against such youths. There are many youths who unknowingly fall for this misleading propaganda and get badly trapped. Therefore, one should remain alert and avoid the misuse of social media.

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