A woman jumped in front of at the Netaji Bhavan Station in South Kolkata's Bhowanipore area
A 24-year-old woman, clutching an infant in her arms, jumped in front of a metro train in Kolkata on Saturday evening. She died on the spot. The infant, she was holding has been rushed to the hospital and is in a critical condition.
The incident took place around 9 pm at the Netaji Bhavan Station in South Kolkata's Bhowanipore area. A train was just coming into the platform from Dum Dum in northern part of town headed towards Garia in south when the woman jumped in front of it.
"At least six rakes ran over her," said an eyewitness. "But when the screams and the noise died down, an infant's cry was heard and rescue workers rushed the child to hospital."
The woman has been identified as Mou Das, a resident of the Behala area in Kolkata. Members of her family said she stepped out of the house around 6 pm with the child. The family thought she had gone to the local park.
Later, they noticed she was missing but never imagined she had gone away to commit suicide.
The family has been reported to have said they do not know of any reason that may have prompted her to have taken such a drastic step.
This is not the first suicide on the Kolkata metro. But a woman jumping before a train with a child in her arms is unheard of, locals say.
Metro train services were disrupted for some time. Police said they are investigating the case.