Migrant worker dies on board ‘Shramik Special’ train

There was no confirmation on whether the deceased had tested positive for COVID-19

PTI

A 34-year-old migrant worker died on board a Pune-Prayagraj Shramik Special train on Monday and his post-mortem has been conducted, officials said on Tuesday.

The deceased, who used to work at a hotel in Pune, was returning to his hometown in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh. He died during the journey and the body was taken off the train at Majhgawan in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district, the officials said.

The train reached the Majhgawan station just before 6:30 pm on Monday and left three hours later.

He had boarded the Uttar Pradesh-bound train with two friends, who were also working in Pune.

“The migrant worker died on the Pune-Prayagraj special train and his body was attended to in Madhya Pradesh. Post-mortem has been conducted,” RPF DG Arun Kumar said.

He said there was no confirmation yet on whether the migrant had tested positive for coronavirus.

Efforts are on to find out his medical history in order to ascertain the cause of the death and the GRP has already informed the deceased’s family about his demise.

The Indian Railways has operated 542 “Shramik Special” trains since May 1 and ferried home 6.48 lakh migrants stranded in various parts of the country amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, officials said on Tuesday.

Of the 542 trains run so far, 448 have reached their destinations while 94 are in transit.

On Monday, a statement issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the Indian Railways will now run 100 “Shramik Special” trains on a daily basis to facilitate a faster movement of workers.