On Monday morning, during a peak travel period, a tragic incident occurred in Thane district, resulting in the deaths of at least four individuals, including a Government Railway Police (GRP) constable, and injuring six others. According to officials, the accident took place between Diva and Kopar railway stations while the train was en route to Kasara. Railway authorities suggested that the incident likely stemmed from passengers hanging out of crowded train doors, colliding with each other and their bags as trains passed in opposite directions.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the railway administration is investigating the cause of the incident. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed his condolences and assured that all necessary measures would be taken to assist the victims and their families. Ajit Pawar, another Deputy Chief Minister, highlighted the need for serious attention to overcrowding and passenger safety within the suburban railway system. A police official noted that the train was extremely crowded during rush hour, with many passengers standing near the doors.

Reports indicate that at least ten passengers fell from the moving train. The guard of another train heading to Kasara alerted railway officials about the incident. All passengers who fell were transported to a government hospital in Kalwa, where four were declared dead upon arrival. The deceased have been identified as Ketan Saroj, Rahul Gupta, Mayur Shah, and GRP constable Vicky Mukhiad. Among the injured, there are four men and two women. The Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway, Swapnil Neela, informed reporters that eight passengers were found on the tracks. The incident was reported to the control room around 9:30 AM, and all injured individuals were taken to the hospital by ambulance by 9:50 AM.

Sharad Pawar, the party president, described the deaths of passengers falling from the local train as unfortunate and urged the Central Railway administration to implement measures such as automatic doors in local trains to address overcrowding. In a post on social media, he emphasized the need for better scheduling and increased train frequency on critical routes to enhance passenger safety. He expressed hope that the decision to install automatic doors would be implemented promptly to prevent such accidents. Pawar also mentioned that an average of six to seven passengers die from falling from local trains daily, attributing this to increasing overcrowding. He stressed that blaming passengers for such tragedies is unjust and called for serious consideration of this unfortunate event by the railway administration.

In addition, the Railway Ministry announced plans to equip all existing and new local train coaches in the Mumbai suburban area with automatic doors. A senior official confirmed this decision on Monday following the horrific incident in Thane. Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of the Railway Board's Information and Publicity Department, stated that all local trains under construction for the Mumbai suburban area will feature automatic doors. Furthermore, existing coaches will be redesigned to include this safety feature. Officials reiterated that safety remains the top priority for the railway, and all efforts are being made to prevent such incidents from recurring.