Elphinstone Road stampede: Video shows dying woman molested by bystander, railway police promise probe

A woman victim of the stampede at Elphinstone Road railway station was allegedly molested seconds before breathing her last, according to a report in The Hindu. A video clip circulating on social media shows the victim being molested by an unidentified man even as she reaches for help, according to the report. “Many people stole purses and gold ornaments from women victims. This molestation video is really shameful. How can someone molest a girl fighting for life and asking for help? The culprits should be punished,” The Hindu quoted Jayshree Kanade, who was at Parel station when the stampede occurred, as saying.

Niket Kaushik, Commissioner, Government Railway Police, told The Hindu: “This case comes under Mumbai Police, but I will also initiate an inquiry.” On Monday it was reported that some people stole ornaments from a victim of the stampede, prompting the Mumbai Police to launch a probe. The police action came after photographs and videos of unidentified persons stealing ornaments from a woman’s body went viral on social media. “Acting on the visuals which were circulated on social media, we have initiated investigation in the ornament theft case,” Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dadar, Sunil Deshmukh said on Sunday. The death toll in the Elphinstone Road-Parel bridge stampede rose to 23 on Saturday after one person succumbed to injuries at KEM Hospital. On Friday, a stampede ensued on a foot-over bridge during the early morning rush at Elphinstone Road station. The tragedy took place amid rain in the city around 10.40 am when the foot-over bridge was heavily crowded, a police official had said. Police suspected a short-circuit with a loud sound near the foot-over bridge led to panic and people started running, resulting in the stampede. With inputs from agencies