Hall ticket in hand, fate had other plans

Class 12 student dies after falling from local train on way to exam

Dombivli: On the very first day of the 12th standard board examinations, an 18-year-old student, Soham Sachin Katre, lost his life after falling from a moving local train between Kalwa and Mumbra stations while travelling to his examination centre. Soham, a resident of Dombivli, was on his way to appear for his first paper at Manisha Vidyalaya in Kalwa when the tragic incident occurred, turning a day of hope and dreams into one of irreversible grief for his family.

According to the family, Soham left home in the morning with his hall ticket in hand, books in his bag and hopes for a bright future in his mind. His parents blessed him and wished him well for the exam, expecting him to return home after completing his paper. Like thousands of other students and commuters, he boarded a crowded local train to reach his centre.

Due to heavy rush in the morning hours, the local train was extremely crowded. While standing in the packed compartment and trying to maintain balance amid the pushing crowd, Soham reportedly lost his balance and fell from the moving train between Kalwa and Mumbra stations. He sustained severe injuries in the fall and died on the spot.

The news of his death reached the family that was waiting for him to return after the exam, shattering their world in a single phone call. The young boy who left home with dreams of his future never made it to the examination hall. His death has plunged the entire area into mourning, with friends, relatives and neighbours left in shock.

Following the incident, Soham’s brother and family members have demanded that the railway administration make special and safer arrangements for students travelling for examinations, pointing out that every day thousands of students and commuters risk their lives while travelling in overcrowded local trains.

The tragedy has once again brought the issue of dangerous overcrowding on Central Railway’s local trains into focus. This is not just an accident, but the devastating loss of a family’s hopes and future. Soham never reached the examination hall, and his answer sheet remained blank but the pages of his family’s life have been filled with lifelong grief.