Mumbai’s suburban railway network, both Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR), have witnessed a sudden rise in the stone pelting incidents. This has raised serious and persistent safety concern, threatening the lives of thousands of daily commuters.
Despite various safety measures by railways — including the installation of iron grills on train windows — the problem continues unabated. Passengers, especially those standing near doors in the Mumbai local trains, are becoming direct targets.
In September, three women sustained serious injuries in separate stone pelting incidents on the Harbour Line, underlining the urgency of the issue.
Recent Incidents:
On September 26, 28-year-old Shivani was injured on the head when a stone struck her on a CSMT–Goregaon slow local train near Reay Road station at 7:15 pm.
Few days earlier, on September 18, 39-year-old Anuradha Sav suffered an eye injury near Wadala-Sewri. The incident had occurred around 7.30pm, when she was returning home from work and standing on the footboard.
Meanwhile, on September 15, 21-year-old Harshada Pawar was hit in the face near Cotton Green–Reay Road section while travelling on the footboard.
According to officials, nearly 30 stone-pelting cases are reported every year across the Mumbai division CR. However, comparatively fewer cases, around 10 to 12, are reported on the WR’s Mumbai Central division each year
On the WR, most of the incidents are reported in areas like Mahim, Bandra, Kandivali, and beyond Virar. On the other hand, most of the cases on the Central Railway occur on the Harbour Line, particularly between Dockyard Road and Mankhurd. Additionally, on the Main Line, areas like Kalwa, Mumbra, Diva, and beyond Kalyan record a higher number of stone-pelting cases.
According to data obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, it was revealed that 113 people have sustained injuries in 118 incidents of stone-pelting on the Mumbai suburban railway network between 2013 to June 2019.
Accused arrested in stone pelting:
A man allegedly involved in several incidents of stone-pelting on suburban trains has been arrested in a joint operation by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), officials said on October.
The accused, identified as Naushad Ali Abdul Wahid Shaikh, was nabbed based on a tip-off, CCTV footage and past records, they said. During interrogation, the accused confessed to pelting stones at trains on September 22 and 26 near Reay Road station, targeting women commuters travelling in ladies' compartments, officials said.
He also admitted to throwing a stone at a local train between Sewri and Wadala stations on September 18, injuring a woman passenger.
Similar instances:
In another incident two months ago, the accused had allegedly thrown a steel chair frame from a moving train between Sewri and Cotton Green stations out of fear when confronted by passengers.
According to officials, the man had been previously arrested by RPF Wadala in 2023 and 2024 for stone-pelting and damaging ATVM ticketing machines, and had served jail terms.