Fewer dead found on the railway premises across the city are going unclaimed. the figure is relatively lower than the 1,337 deceased during 2010 going unclaimed.
Fewer dead found on the railway premises across the city are going unclaimed. While as many as 1,167 of the total 3,452 bodies found on the railway premises in 2011 were unclaimed, this figure is relatively lower than the 1,337 deceased during 2010 going unclaimed.
According to the Mumbai railway police, Kurla, Kalyan, Borivli and Thane reported the highest number of unclaimed bodies during 2011. These bodies, including those of beggars and drug addicts, were later disposed of by the railway police.
Each year thousands migrate to Mumbai, with many of them settling near religious places or on railway premises. These temporary settlers more often than not face malnutrition, starvation or some illnesses.
“When we come across the body of an unidentified person on the railway premises, we click the deceased and along with a detailed description circulate it in all police stations across the state, control rooms of other states, apart from telecasting it on Doordarshan to trace any relatives. While we wait for a claimant to turn up, the body is kept in the morgue of the government or civil hospital for eight days,” said a police officer attached with the Mumbai Railway police. If unclaimed for that length of time, the railway police dispose of the body.
Admitting that it was a challenge to trace the relatives of the deceased if he/she was beggar or drug addict, deputy commissioner of police GL Bhandare of Mumbai railway police said: “Owing to the efforts by the GRP, we can see that the number of unclaimed bodies has climbed down, from 1,392 in 2008 to 1,167 in 2011.”
Railway activist Sameer Zaveri, who had filed a PIL in the Bombay high court in 2008 in this regard, said, “As per the HC’s direction, the western and central railways in January 2011 started a website to post details of the accidents where the public are informed of the victim’s name and description, place, date and time of death, GRP constable’s name, the police station,
stationmaster concerned and photograph of the deceased.”
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