An 18-year-old Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) student lost his life on the morning of his first board examination after allegedly falling from a moving local train between Mumbra and Kalwa stations.
Soham Sachin Kathare, a resident of Dombivli, was travelling to Kalwa to appear for his English paper when the tragic incident occurred on February 10. Officials from the Government Railway Police said he was declared dead at a Thane hospital at 10.30 am, just half an hour before the examination began at 11 am.
Left home with hopes for exam
Soham had left his home at around 8.30 am to reach his examination centre at Manisha Vidyalaya, Kalwa. His father, Sachin Kathare, said the family received a call from the police station around 11.30 am informing them of the accident.
“Soham was a quiet child, and now we have lost him,” his father said, adding that the family plans to take his body to their native place in Satara after completing hospital formalities. An accidental death report has been registered. Soham is survived by his parents and a younger brother.
Rush-hour travel concerns
Neighbours said Soham attended an afternoon junior college and was not accustomed to travelling during peak morning hours. The family had shifted to Dombivli only a year ago, having previously lived closer to his college.
His teacher, Vaishali Devendra Konkar of New Kalwa High School, described him as a science student and expressed grief over the loss. “It would help if students were given special compartments or priority access during board examinations,” she said.
Renewed calls over overcrowding
The incident has once again brought attention to overcrowding in Mumbai’s suburban railway network. Commuter groups have demanded stronger measures to prevent fatalities.
Ketan Shah of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee announced a protest at Thane railway station, urging citizens to gather wearing black as a mark of concern. Siddhesh Desai of the Kalva Mumbai Suburban Railway Passenger Association also questioned the continued lack of accountability despite repeated tragedies.
Soham was marked absent for his examination. Teachers later visited the hospital to console the grieving family.