CCTV Now the Only Witness to Churchgate

A routine journey of a commuter on a busy suburban railway in Mumbai turned into a grisly horror. A local train commuter, 22, was stabbed to death by a man on a running train. The two argued over closing the coach door as it started raining heavily. It has raised fresh fears over the safety of commuters on Mumbai's local trains. Several asked how a man armed with a knife could simply escape and murder another man on one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city.

Mayank Lohar, who resided in Virar and worked at an apparel showroom in Andheri (East). He had completed his work and hopped onto the Churchgate-Nalasopara fast local like thousands of other commuters who were catching a train home. His family described him as a quiet, dedicated young man who stayed out of trouble. And they said -- he simply went to work each day, hoping that tomorrow would be different.

Mayank quarrelled with a 30-year-old Goregaon man in the first-class compartment of a local while travelling between Goregaon and Kandivali stations on Tuesday night, according to the Borivali Government Railway Police. The train, which was travelling from Goregaon to Kandivali, was hit by heavy rain, which started blowing into the coach through the open door. Another passenger told a passenger to shut up. The man, identified later as a 30-year-old Roshan Suvarna, and Mayank had gotten into an altercation.

Suvarna was returning home after completing his duty at a cargo company in Andheri and drinking nearly a bottle of rum, the police said. He also planned to go home by taxi, but since no taxi was available under heavy rain, he took the local train. Police said they found him delirious when they came across him.

Police said witnesses indicated the argument quickly grew violent. During the altercation, Mayank hit him and broke his glasses, the accused said. The accusations are corroborated by witness statements and CCTV images. It took passengers to pull them apart, but the fight was far from over.

As others watched in horror, police said Suvarna pulled a knife out of his bag and stabbed Mayank several times in the chest and abdomen. The horrific attack sent people running for their lives. Many fled the car to avoid becoming the next victim. After the attack, Suvarna allegedly waved the knife around and threatened everyone in the compartment, which was not easy to do.

Passengers’ footage quickly became viral. One video showed the accused gliding through the blood-stained coach holding a knife. Panicked voices could be heard saying, “He has killed him.” In another video, passengers can be seen trying to help Mayank, who was lying unconscious on the train floor. The footage spread like wildfire, shocking the country.

Around 11.04 pm, as the train approached Borivali station, Suvarna got down from the moving train and ran away. Soon after the information about the attack, railway police and Railway Protection Force personnel rushed to the compartment. Mayank was rushed to the emergency medical room of Borivali station by the medical teams and then was taken to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali by an ambulance. Doctors fought to save him, but he died of his wounds.

Seven units of railway police and the Crime Branch swung immediately into action to trace the suspect. Officers trawled through footage from more than 400 CCTV cameras at railway stations and in surrounding areas. Following Suvarna's movements on the technical surveillance cameras and the CCTV footage, officers tracked Suvarna to Panvel, where he was arrested the next day. Police said he was about to go to his hometown in Mangaluru.

A case of murder has been registered against the accused under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further investigations are underway. Police are also questioning witnesses who were in the compartment to ascertain how this argument escalated into such violence.

Mayank’s family is devastated. He lost his mother as she tried to remember him. She said her son never picked fights, adding that he always went home after work. He deserved punishment, she explained. His sister questioned why no one stopped the train, and asked how someone with a deadly weapon could get on a train. She warned that if there were not enough police in place, it would happen to other families too.

Many commuters took to the Internet to vent their anger over the murder. They complained of the lack of security screening at Mumbai's railway stations, saying they can enter the stations without going through metal detectors or bag searches. Others complained about the lack of security on board trains, especially during the late-night hours.

Rail officials are shocked and saddened by the incident, saying Mumbai’s suburbs have CCTV cameras, emergency bells, helpline and security personnel. They say the emergency team was quick to respond once the attack was reported. But many passengers believe the tragedy has exposed far more serious security problems that require immediate attention.

Every day millions of commuters in Mumbai travel to work in local trains. For many, the murder of Churchgate–Nalasopara has thrown the notion that normal train journeys are always safe. As the investigation continues, CCTV footage is the strongest witness to the crime that has left the entire city demanding better protection for the people who rely on the lifeline of Mumbai every single day.

References:

. . .