Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (EP)

Mumbai, Sep 29: Two women hailing from Dakshina Kannada of Karnataka state were among the 22 who died in the stampede at the narrow railway foot overbridge connecting the Parel-Elphinstone Road stations of Western Railway here on Friday September 29 morning.

The deceased, Sumalatha Shetty and Sujatha Alva, were members of Bunts Sangha Mumbai Kurla-Bhandup local committee.

Another lady, identified as Theresa Fernandes, a local Mumbaikar belonging to the East Indian Community, also died in the incident, leaving behind an infant child.

Theresa Fernandes

The women, who used to travel by train as usual, got down from the train and climbed the foot ovebridge and were walking, when it started raining all of a sudden. Meanwhile a miscreant spread a rumour that the bridge was going to collapse due to short circuit. People on hearing the news started running in all the directions to avoid accident. It resulted in the stampede in which 22 people perished and 35 sustained injuries.

Fire brigade, railway police and railway Bhoiwada police rushed to the spot and took the injured to local KEM government hospital. The bodies have been handed over to the relatives after post-mortem.

The two deceased women were active members of Kurla Bhandup local divisional committee and residents of Nehrunagar, Kanjurmarg. They could be seen together participating in competitions and social work. They were good sportspersons also. They had gone to buy flowers for Dasara festival puja as flowers when tragedy struck.

Sumalatha Shetty hails from Madman, Pademane, Inna and is the daughter of Krishna Shetty of Kadandale Hoigemane. She was a talented sportsperson, a leading player of tug-of-war and throwball teams, and had won several prizes. Her husband is working for Siemens and their only daughter Nidhi Shetty is a student of BSc in Sion.

Sujatha Alva hails from Vamanjoor. She was a good drama artiste. She had acted in several dramas and won appreciation from the audience. Her husband Purushotham is a senior officer in the department of income tax. Their two daughters Prajna Alva and Prerana Alva are college students.

Bunts Sangha Mumbai president Prabhaker L Shetty, vice-president Padmanabha S Payyade, honorary chief secretary Ulthooru Mohandas Shetty, honorary treasurer CA I R Shetty, women's wing president Latha Jayarama Shetty, Kurla Bhandup local committee president CA Vishwanath Shetty, former president Bellampalli Balakrishna Hegde, women's committee president Saroja Shetty, M D Shetty, B Vivek Shetty, Sudhaker S Hegde, Aikala Harish Shetty, Dr Sunitha M Shetty, advocate K P Prakash L Shetty, CA I R Shetty, Jayarama N Shetty, Shama N Shetty, Nakriguthu Vivek Shetty, Chelladka Kusumodhara Shetty, Kadandale Suresh S Bhandary, Kurla Diwaker Shetty, Mohan Marnad, Innabalika Navin Shetty and others expressed their condolences on their sad demise.