Behrampore: Railway authorities have suspended gateman Anup Karmakar and his superior, permanent way inspector (PWI) Koushik Mal, following Friday’s level-crossing accident near Karnasubarna. Police have taken Karmakar into seven days’ custody.The accident occurred on Friday morning after the Up Nabadwip Dham Express passed and the gate was opened. A pool car entered the crossing just as the Nimtita-Katwa passenger train arrived, ramming into the vehicle and a cyclist. Five people, including four minor students, were killed, while three others, including the pool car driver, sustained critical injuries.A preliminary railway investigation held the on-duty gateman responsible. The report stated that the Down distant signal of Karnasubarna station showed double yellow. After negotiating a curve, the train crew suddenly spotted the car on the tracks. The assistant loco pilot applied the emergency brakes and sounded the horn, but the vehicle failed to clear the tracks.Medical tests confirmed Karmakar was not intoxicated. However, railway employees have demanded eight-hour shifts, alleging that continuous 12-hour night duties for a week drastically increase the risk of human error. Officials have collected the site sketch, speed chart and Karmakar’s attendance sheet for further analysis.Train services on the route have since resumed. The five bodies were handed over for burial following post-mortem examinations. The entire area remains in shock, and Royal Academy remained closed on Saturday as students, teachers and families coped with the tragedy. Fahim Seikh, a relative of victim Farhana, said her father, a migrant labourer in Saudi Arabia, has been informed of the tragedy.Meanwhile, the state govt said it has cleared 40 railway overbridge (ROB) proposals. “The previous govt had withheld NOCs for these projects for the last few years,” a railway official said. In March, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Parliament that 99 ROB/RUB projects in Bengal were pending due to approval, land clearance and local execution bottlenecks.
