Odisha train crash: Bengal Teens shared name and tragic fate

BHUBANESWAR: They were in their early 20s and the best buddies in their village. They even shared the same name- Suman Roy. But little did they know they would meet the same fate and leave for the heavenly abode the same day. The two young men from West Bengal’s Arazi Lalchandpur village bordering Bangladesh were among 288 people who lost their lives in the tragic train crash at Bahanaga.

The youth were among five migrant labourers from their village heading for Chennai to work at a construction site. While the body of one Suman has already been identified and dispatched to his native place, the relatives of the other has arrived at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar to identify the body. Three others, who were injured, have been discharged from hospitals.

“We have already identified the body from the photographs displayed near the help desk. But we are unable to find it as the number on the photo and the token number provided to us to receive the body from the stored container is not matching. We are verifying it again with the records available,” said Suman’s brother Jeet Kumar Roy.

“The two friends had boarded the train from Howrah. This was their first journey as migrant labourers to the South Indian city. As some labourers from our village, already working in Chennai, had assured their work, they sounded happy as they were going to earn for the first time. Everything is shattered now,” said Jeet.

Arazi Lalchandpur village in Dakshin Dinajpur district has a population of around 800 and more than 200 among of them work as migrant labourers in different cities across the country. Like the two Sumans, several migrant labourers from West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha who had boarded the general compartment of the Coromandel Express have been killed in the train crash.

“Suman was the only bread earner of the family. He was working as a daily wager back home and as his earning was insufficient to manage the family, he decided to move to Chennai for better income. He is survived by his parents and two other younger siblings. How will they survive,” asked Pradut Roy, his cousin.