The Harbour line has witnessed its first electrocution at Tilak Nagar station after being converted to 25,000-volt Alternating Current (AC). The man — Govandi resident Mohammad Waris (25) — has been sent to Rajawadi Hospital but is unlikely to survive his grievous injuries.
According to witnesses, the commuters began to yell at Waris to dissuade him as he began climbing up when the train left the station, but he paid them no heed. He came in contact with the wire at 11.58 am as the train had left the platform and has suffered almost 80 to 90 per cent burns.
The Central Railway (CR) Railway Police Force (RPF) had already started its patrolling to prevent rooftop travelling since Sunday, that is when the Harbour line’s power was changed from 1,500 to 25,000 volts.
The RPF’s senior divisional security commissioner Sachin Bhalode said that other than posters and announcements, the CR had been on a drive to deter such incidents.
“We have already stationed six constables at Govandi and Mankhurd and two each at Tilak Nagar and Vashi to monitor if anyone was getting up on the roof,” he said. Waris, who works at a men’s salon, was on his way to Sion.
