On Sunday morning, scenes of chaos and loud commotion unfolded at Western Railway’s busy Bandra Terminus as large crowds attempted to board a moving train to reach their hometowns for Diwali and Chhath. The incident left nine people injured, and distressing videos of the event quickly circulated on social media.
The rush happened around 2:45 am as passengers scrambled to board the unreserved 22921 Bandra-Gorakhpur Antyodaya Express, which was approaching platform number 1 from the terminus yard. Although the 22-coach train was set to depart at 5:10 am, officials noted that during festival seasons, passengers often rush to secure seats in unreserved coaches.
Since the incident, social media has been filled with videos showing crowds running, shouting, and injured passengers with visible wounds. One video captured a man bleeding, while another injured person lay nearby. In a shocking sight, some passengers continued boarding the train even as an injured person with a leg injury lay near the door.
In another widely shared video, a Railway Protection Force (RPF) officer is seen carrying an injured passenger on his shoulder, while another officer transported someone to the hospital using a makeshift cloth stretcher. Many locals and bystanders on nearby platforms joined in to help the injured.
Civic officials confirmed that nine people were injured, including Shabhir Abdul Rehman (40), Parmeshwar Sukhdar Gupta (28), Ravindra Harihar Chuma (30), and Noor Mohammad Shaikh, among others. Police stated that Indrajith Sahani and Noor Mohammad Shaikh were taken to Bhabha Hospital in critical condition. However, Western Railway later reported two injuries in an official statement.
In light of Diwali and Chhath, Western Railway also noted that 130 special trains would operate to key destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, totaling over 2,300 trips from stations like Mumbai Central, Bandra, Valsad, and Udhna.