Reporter's Diary: Death comes calling after empty promises

CHENNAI: Who can forget the murder of S Swathi, an IT employee, at Nungambakkam Railway Station in 2016! It remains afresh especially in the minds of the EMU commuters in Chennai.

After eight years, another such horror occurred in the city, recently at St Thomas Mount. The college student Sathyapriya was gored to death after she was pushed before the electric train by her stalker. Despite myriad theories about her murder, what’s stark is the lack of safety on the railways station’s premises.

Going back to Swathi’s case... Her parents approached the HC, alleging that the inadequate safety measures in the railway station were the prime reason for their daughter’s death. They further demanded the railways to compensate them with Rs 3 crore for the same.

The Railways informed the court that it was a pre-planned murder despite the security arrangements by the Railways in Nungambakkam. It further vowed not even a minor compromise would be made to the safety of passengers in the railways’ premises. Recording the submissions, the court rejected the petition of Swathi’s parents.

Within months, Sathyapriya also lost her life on the railway premises. After a confrontation, her stalker suddenly pushed her in front of an oncoming train, according to the police version. Neither the investigation nor the incident had indicated that it was a planned murder.

So, what happened to the security arrangements promised by Railways? Will they compensate the deceased’s family now? Or would they come up with yet another empty promise?