It was around 8:30pm when a fast local to Badlapur arrived at platform number five of Thane station. A huge crowd of commuters were moving along the staircases at the time. Suddenly a loud cry, "Bachao,bachao!" baffled commuters and people started pushing one another on the staircases. Rahul Surve, a Thane resident, who was on the staircase at the CST end, said, "I was in the middle of thhe packed staircase when suddenly, all the women in the platform started shouting. Everyone, unware of the situation, started running up and out of the station....In a moment, the entire platform was empty of commuters. There wasn''t single person on it"
Jaikishen Gupta, an employee of a canteen located on the platform said, "we quickly pulled down our shutters,as we thought some kind of emergency had gripped the station". Some commuters on the platform jumped onto the tracks and a few unfortunate even fell into open drains between platforms.
Meanwhile, some commuters informed the government railway police about the commotion... the police could not fanthom what caused the panic and kept running from one platform to another, carrying a stretcher with them..assuming there was an accident".
When the police conducted an enquiry, the reason for the commotion completely baffled them. ..." It was a middle-aged woman who had shouted for help when a lizard (3 inches in length according to eye-witnesses!)fell on her from the roof of the train. people did not understand why she was screaming and instead of helping her, started running. Fortunately no one was hurt!.
Jaikishen Gupta, an employee of a canteen located on the platform said, "we quickly pulled down our shutters,as we thought some kind of emergency had gripped the station". Some commuters on the platform jumped onto the tracks and a few unfortunate even fell into open drains between platforms.
Meanwhile, some commuters informed the government railway police about the commotion... the police could not fanthom what caused the panic and kept running from one platform to another, carrying a stretcher with them..assuming there was an accident".
When the police conducted an enquiry, the reason for the commotion completely baffled them. ..." It was a middle-aged woman who had shouted for help when a lizard (3 inches in length according to eye-witnesses!)fell on her from the roof of the train. people did not understand why she was screaming and instead of helping her, started running. Fortunately no one was hurt!.
Source: excerpts from a report- "How a lizard held Thane station to ransom",Mumbai Mirror edition-28th june 2008
Blog author's conclusion-railway officials should immediatly nab the accused "chip-kaalee" and charge fines for illegal travel on the roof of a train!..and the lady in this case should be recommeded for an award of the highest order for her "bravery in saving lives" of fellow commuters.
