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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Deadly Commute

Mumbai has always taken pride in its local trains, which have been celebrated as the city’s lifeline. It has long been a democratic institution that carries millionaires and labourers alike, and a symbol of the resilience that Mumbaikars so often boast about. The brutal murder of a 22-year-old passenger inside a moving local has exposed a darker reality. The city’s most cherished public service is no longer merely overcrowded and uncomfortable but is becoming steadily unsafe. The victim,...

Deadly Commute

Mumbai has always taken pride in its local trains, which have been celebrated as the city’s lifeline. It has long been a democratic institution that carries millionaires and labourers alike, and a symbol of the resilience that Mumbaikars so often boast about. The brutal murder of a 22-year-old passenger inside a moving local has exposed a darker reality. The city’s most cherished public service is no longer merely overcrowded and uncomfortable but is becoming steadily unsafe. The victim, travelling in a first-class compartment of a Churchgate-Nallasopara fast local, became embroiled in an argument over whether the train door should be kept open during heavy rain. The disagreement escalated into fatal violence after the accused pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the abdomen. As blood pooled on the floor of the compartment, passengers merely stood there watched in horror. A video of the aftermath showed the alleged killer walking away with the weapon in hand without anybody stopping him. For years, a rough but effective social order prevailed in the Mumbai local train. While commuters may have jostled for space and exchanged harsh words, there remained an unwritten code of conduct for keeping outright criminality at bay. Mumbai’s trains have long been dangerous in one sense. Every year, hundreds die while crossing tracks, hanging from footboards or falling from overcrowded coaches. But passengers rarely feared being murdered inside the compartment itself. S Even more troubling was the reaction of those present. The footage suggests that dozens of passengers chose self-preservation over intervention. While few citizens would willingly confront an armed attacker, the images nonetheless reveal a growing atomisation of urban life. Millions travel together every day, but increasingly as strangers who feel no responsibility towards one another. Mumbai’s famed collective spirit has now become a slogan repeated only after disasters rather than a reality visible in everyday life. The authorities, too, have questions to answer. How did an individual carrying a knife manage to board and travel through one of the busiest suburban rail networks in the world? Why does visible security remain so sparse despite years of promises about surveillance, modernisation and passenger safety? The Railways have invested heavily in technology, announcements and infrastructure upgrades. Yet commuters continue to encounter inadequate policing and an absence of deterrence. The larger concern is cultural. Across India’s cities, there is evidence of rising public aggression. Minor disagreements increasingly escalate into violence. Road-rage incidents, neighbourhood disputes and social-media-fuelled confrontations frequently end in bloodshed. Patience, compromise and restraint appear to be in retreat. Mumbai likes to imagine itself as different from the rest of India. The local train murder suggests otherwise. A city is judged not by its skyline but by the safety of its ordinary spaces. When passengers can no longer assume that they will return home alive from a routine train journey, something fundamental has gone wrong.

Deshmukh points towards ‘conspiracy’

Updated: Mar 21, 2025

Deshmukh

Mumbai: The former home minister of Maharashtra and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Thursday categorically stated that in a way the issue of Disha Salian resurfaced it seems like it’s a larger political conspiracy. The timing selected for targeting Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders has raised many questions. “Aditya Thackeray has nothing to do with this,” he said confidently.


Speaking to this newspaper, Deshmukh said, “I am taking information on the plea filed by Disha Salina’s father. All this now looks like a gloomy affair. Disha’s father has gone to court. Salian has named Aditya Thackeray, but we are sure Aditya Thackeray has nothing to do with this. We are with him, but let the court decide. If a person is trying to get justice, he should get justice”.


“Significantly, if you look at the BJP’s style of functioning, they will now start doing politics on it. Four years ago Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide. Immediately after this tragic incident the BJP made a full-fledged attempt to gain political mileage in Bihar by putting up banners in that state maligning then Uddhav Thackeray government. Now after four years, the BJP is all set to use the same tactics as elections in Bihar are fast approaching,” Deshmukh said.


“At this juncture I am gathering information on the sensitive Disha episode. Once I get the details on this particular issue I will come before the media. This issue is coming to the fore with the blessings of some powerful people,” he further added.

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