‘They Had No Money’: Aurangabad Train Tragedy Victims’ Kin

The kin of those killed in the Aurangabad train tragedy talk about the hardships they face.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui

Sixteen migrant workers were run over by a freight train while they were sleeping on the tracks on Friday, 8 May, as they covered several kilometres on foot to reach home amid the nationwide lockdown.

Brajesh and his brother Shiv Dayal were among the 16, who were returning to Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh from Maharashtra. Their grandfather, Shubhkaran Singh, says that they were not getting any money or jobs from their contractor, so they had decided to come back home. Gajraj Singh, their father, added that since the money earned from farming isn’t enough, they had no choice but to go to Maharashtra to find better means to sustain themselves.

Keshmati Bai, mother of 24-year-old Dharmendra who was another victim of the tragedy, said that he had managed for a month until he had no money left, which is when he decided to come back.

The government has announced an ex-gratia of five lakh each to the families of the deceased.