Masrekul, a 35-year-old labourer from West Bengal’s Malda, was on his way to Chennai for better work opportunities. He will never return home now. He was a passenger on the ill-fated Coromandel Express, which was involved in a three-train collision in Balasore district that left over 280 dead and more than 800 injured.
A majority of the people on both the passenger trains belonged to West Bengal. The tragedy has claimed a large number of labour workers like Masrekul, as many of them were cramped into the ‘unreserved’ general coaches that suffered maximum impact.
On Friday afternoon, Masrekul spoke to his children and took updates on what they were up to. He also told his wife that their lives will change as he will do a better job. The labourer was on his way to Chennai for some new work with others like him. It was the first time he was venturing out of his state to work in the Tamil Nadu capital, since he was not physically fit.
His family came to know of the incident on Friday night and called his associates but not a single phone was available – that’s when the list of deaths was released and somebody called to inform them that Masrekul was no more.
Masrekul is survived by more than seven family members and he was responsible for all of them. His inconsolable wife, Ruksana Khatun, said, “Why did you go, my husband? Now who will look after us? I have boys aged 3 and 7; he said we will prosper but now he’s gone. Oh God, take me and my children; we are poor.”
Masrekul’s mother still believes he will return, yet to absorb the finality of what has happened. “He will come back; he promised me that he will do good work there,” she said.
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