Borivli businessman tried to escape but collapsed

When Devshakar Upadhyay, 48, set out from his Borivli house to go to Surat, his family never imagined that they would never see him alive again.

Popularly known as ‘Pankaj Bhai’, he had been running a grocery store at Sukurwadi in Borivli (East) for two decades. Upadhyay and another businessman were travelling in S4 coach (seat number 26) of Dehradun Express to go to Surat for some work. After the fire broke out, he and his friend tried to get out of the coach. But, excessive smoke made it difficult for him to escape and he collapsed inside the compartment.

His friend called up their friend in Navi Mumbai, who broke the news to Upadhyay’s wife, son and daughter.

His friend S Purohit said: “With both the children studying, the compensation amount is very less to support the family. The railways should provide job to one of the family members.”