Stampede at Mumbai’s Bandra Terminus: Criticism from Jayant Patil and Anand Dubey

On October 27, a stampede at Mumbai’s Bandra Terminus railway station resulted in injuries to several people. Jayant Patil, Maharashtra State President of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), expressed concern over the incident, criticizing the state government’s failure to prevent such occurrences. He stated, “The government failed to make proper arrangements. Such incidents are recurring, which is worrying. We condemn the tragic incident at Bandra.”

At least nine people were injured during the stampede, which happened on platform number 1 as a crowd gathered for the Bandra-Gorakhpur Express. Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey criticized the Mahayuti government, highlighting a lack of accountability from Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who is also the BJP’s in-charge for Maharashtra. Dubey remarked, “There is no regard for the lives of common and poor people in the state under this government… More than nine people have been injured. Is there any accountability from the railways or the minister?”

NCP-SCP leader Clyde Crasto described the incident as ‘disturbing,’ pointing out failures within the Railways Ministry under Vaishnaw. He noted that insufficient trains during the festive season and local administrative lapses contributed to the mishap.

Western Railway CPRO Vineet Abhishek explained that the incident occurred as passengers attempted to board the Bandra-Gorakhpur Antyoday Express while it was still moving. Two passengers were injured and taken to the hospital. Abhishek assured that Western Railway has implemented measures such as extra ticket counters and sufficient staff to ensure safe boarding during festive periods. Despite these efforts, the unfortunate incident occurred.

The injured were admitted to K B Bhabha Municipal General Hospital.