WR asked to pay Rs 4L to parents of post-Godhra riot victim

The Railway Claims Tribunal has ordered Western Railway to pay Rs 4 lakhs to the parents of a youth, who was allegedly killed in an attack at Vadodara railway station on February 27, 2002, in the wake of post-Godhra riots.

The tribunal's bench in Ahmedabad recently ordered General Manager, WR, Mumbai to pay Rs four lakh compensation with interest (from the date of filing application - February 22, 2008) to the deceased Mohammad Mufid Alam Jamaluddin Sheikh's parents - Mohammad Jamaluddin Allaudin Sheikh and Khalkunnisha Sheikh.

According to the applicant's counsel Premdutt A Sharma, Mohammad Mufid (aged 21 then) was killed in the alleged attack by rioters at the Vadodara railway station where he was waiting on platform no. 1 for Ahmedabad-Valsad passenger train to go to Bharuch.

The applicants had filed the claim under sections 124, 124 A (compensation on account of untoward incident), 125 and 123 C(2) of the Railway Act, 1989.

The counsel argued that as per provisions of Railway Act, Railway is liable to protect passengers from 'untoward incident'.

As per the tribunal order, the deceased's parents, residents of Chandra Gama in Purnia district of Bihar, had filed an application against the respondent General Manager, WR, Churchgate Mumbai (railway administration), for payment of compensation for the death of their son.

They pleaded that they were dependents of the deceased, who died in an 'untoward incident' on February 27, 2002.

The tribunal bench of members O L Pandey (judicial) and N M Mishra further stated that the deceased had met with an 'untoward incident', falling under section 123 C(2) of the Railway Act, during his journey.