Rail deaths dropped by 35% last yr against pre-pandemic 2019; suicides on tracks doubled, shows GRP survey

THERE WAS a 35 per cent decrease in rail deaths on the Mumbai suburban railway line in 2021 as compared to the pre-pandemic 2019, but the number of suicides almost doubled during that same period, as per figures compiled by Mumbai Government Railway Police (GRP).

In 2021, a total of 1,752 rail deaths took place in which 1,114 were due to line crossing, 277 due to falling off trains and 258 due to natural causes. Out of these 1, 557 or 89 per cent victims were men. In comparison, 2,691 rail deaths took place in 2019 while 1,116 such deaths occurred in 2020.

However, the number of people dying by suicide on tracks rose to 54 compared to 28 in 2019 i.e., nearly double. In these 54 suicides, (45 men and 9 women) as many as 20 were at Kalyan GRP, 12 at Dombivli and 10 at Palghar GRP.