Thane: Patna IIT Alumnus, Who Died After Falling From Train, Was to Appear For Job Interview Next Day

Today should have been a day of celebration for Avadhesh Rajesh Dubey, a promising young healthcare IT software professional and alumnus of the esteemed IIT, Patna. However, the reality is that Avadhesh's 26th birthday will forever be etched in the memories of his loved ones as a day of profound loss and mourning. On the fateful morning of April 23rd, 2024, Avadhesh's life was tragically cut short as he fell off from an overcrowded local train between Diva and Mumbra stations.  “He had an interview lined up with a Delhi-based company on the the next day he lost his life. Who knew he could not return back to give that interview?” his family told LokmatTimes.com. They are demanding answers from the railway administration on being a mute spectator of such frequent deaths happening. 

Avadhesh, a resident of Thakurwadi, Dombivli lived with his dad who is a retired mill worker, his mom, a housewife and his 2 brothers. “He was highly ambitious and very optimistic. Since 4 months he embarked on a distance learning postgraduate program at IIT Patna. His exam was scheduled for next month,”  Avadhesh’s brother Deepak Dubey told while talking to LokmatTimes.com. He stated that that it was quite a struggle for a mill worker’s son to get an admission into IIT. “When things started to come back on the track, all of a sudden this tragedy hit us,” told Deepak. 

Family Claims Delay in Police Investigation
Avadhesh’s brother Deepak revealed the delay by Thane GRP  to investigate the case. Firstly, the GRP and RPF did not reach the accident spot on time," Avadhesh's brother stated, his voice trembling with anguish. “GRP control room  from CSMT office informed Diva and Mumbra around 9:18 am about the accident. When the control room response was so swift, why it took 2 hours for GRP, RPF, station masters to rescue the patient and take him to the hospital.  By the time he reached Thane civil hospital, he was declared dead at 11:55 am. If some kind of urgency was shown by the system, my brother’s life would have been saved.” 

“I demand a fair inquiry as all his valuables including his wallet, office bag, new 5g phone ,govt. ids, railway pass and others are still missing. His possessions, once mundane tokens of everyday life, now serve as stark reminders of a life cut short,” stated Deepak. He informed that police is reluctant to answer the family  and telling that  Avadhesh fell into the swamps in Mumbra and hence the belongings got buried in the swamp with the body. Deepak is a lawyer has obtained the Avadhesh’s mobile data from Jio. “From 11:16 am to 1:09 pm, his mobile’s data usage was around 100 KB. I suspect someone has stolen his mobile and other belongings. Police is giving an easy escape. They should investigate these facts,” told  the victim’s brother.

Demands from Railway
Since the beginning of the year till March 2024, around 565 passengers of Central and Western lines have lost their lives. Whereas 139 of them died after falling off of crowded trains.

Avadhesh’s family is urging the CR to make mandatory 15 -coach local for all fast trains instead of 12-coach specially during peak hours. They want timely railway track inspection and improvement of elevation at turn including safety net at all critical spots E.g. Mumbra Creek. If we look at the 3rd and 4th lines of Thane to Kalyan, there are lot of accident chances between Mumbra and Diva due a the curve created and hence, installation of safety net on all such critical spots, tell various commuter associations. 

In the wake of the tragedy, many commuters are demanding affordable auto door closing locals that will replace replace the current locals. Deepak stated that we need boarding and de-boarding marking on railway platform and local  train gate for queue management. Additional GRP and RPF deployment is required. Railways can write letters to NCC and NSS units for some help, told the family. “We are not just statistics. Every rail accident is a life shattered and a family devastated. Today we were expecting to see our loved one smile on his birthday but fate had other plans,” stated Avadhesh’s family.