Coronavirus lockdown: Migrant labourer’s body found In Shramik train toilet
North Central Railways has claimed that the labourer underwent medical screening before boarding the train as per protocol, and that neither him nor anyone else on his behalf had sought any medical assistance
May 29, 2020 / 09:02 PM IST
The body of a migrant labourer was found inside a Shramik Special train's toilet on May 27, when it was stationed at Jhansi Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh.
The body was discovered by railway workers while sanitising the coaches after the train had completed a round trip from Gorakhpur. A report by NDTV states that the corpse might have been lying there for days as the kin of the deceased informed that he had boarded the train on May 23.
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The deceased labourer has been identified as 38-year-old Mohan Lal Sharma, a resident of Basti district, which is located at a distance of 70 km from Gorakhpur. Sharma was a daily wage labourer in Mumbai, who was rendered jobless following the the imposition of the coronavirus-driven lockdown.
The deceased migrant had managed to reach Jhansi by bus on May 23, following which, the district administration had directed him and other labourers to the railway station to board the Gorakhpur-bound train.
Sharma’s relatives informed that he had called them after boarding the Shramik Special train and asked them to receive him in Gorakhpur the next day, i.e., May 24. However, his mobile phone was switched off when the relative tried to contact him the next day.
When the train finally returned to Jhansi on May 27, railway workers disinfecting the coaches found Sharma’s body. The coach from where the body was retrieved was locked during the return journey to Jhansi, Railways has informed.
Meanwhile, North Central Railways has claimed that Sharma underwent medical screening before boarding the train as per protocol and that neither him nor anyone else on his behalf had sought any medical assistance.
Manoj Kumar Singh, PRO, Railways, said: “This was an empty rake and empty rakes are locked. When we were carrying out maintenance work, we found the body. None of the railway doctors in any division along the train’s route received any calls informing that someone was ill.”
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