Saddened by the deaths of a woman and an unidentified man at Sandhurst Road station due to a strike at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Thursday, passengers expressed anger at the unions responsible for the protest, blaming them for endangering lives. “Whenever action is taken against motormen or engineers, unions resort to protests and bring the system to a halt. Lakhs suffered today because trains were suddenly stopped,” a commuter said.

According to police, the victims were walking on the tracks when the train approached from behind. Because of the darkness, other commuters initially couldn’t understand what had happened. Moments later, passengers realised people had been struck and RPF personnel, along with fellow commuters, rushed to help, carrying the injured off the tracks and shifting them to the hospital.