Lockdown 2020: Over 8,700 people died on railway tracks this year, many of them migrants

Over 8,700 people have lost their lives on railway tracks even though passenger trains were suspended or severely reduced due to the Covid pandemic. Many among the dead were migrant workers.

Over 8,700 people were mowed down on railway tracks in 2020 even though passenger train services were severely curtailed due to the nationwide coronavirus lockdown, with officials saying many of the victims were migrant workers. The Railway Board shared the data on such deaths for the period between January and December 2020 in its reply to a question by Madhya Pradesh-based activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur under the Right to Information Act. "Based on the information received from the State Police, 805 people suffered injuries and 8,733 people died on the railway track between January 2020 and December 2020," the Railway Board has said.