Thousands of migrant workers caused heavy crowding at Udhna railway station in Surat, Gujarat, on Sunday morning, prompting security personnel to resort to lathi-charge. Western Railway denied reports of a stampede, stating that over 23,000 passengers were facilitated to travel from the station in a day. The rush coincided with the start of summer vacations and an industrial slowdown in the textile and diamond sectors.
Udhna railway station in Surat saw heavy crowding on Sunday morning as thousands of passengers, mostly migrant workers heading to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha, gathered to board outstation trains. The rush stemmed from the onset of summer vacations and a slowdown in local textile and diamond industries. Passengers breached barricades and broke queues, leading security personnel to use lathi-charge for crowd control.
Western Railway issued a statement denying stampede reports: “During the course of passenger movement for special train services, a brief disturbance occurred when a few unruly boys attempted to breach barricading arrangements. The situation was promptly brought under control by on-ground railway staff and police, ensuring no disruption to overall operations.” An anonymous station official said the crowd built up from Saturday afternoon and peaked around 11:35 am ahead of the Hasanpur train departure.
Two long-distance trains from Mumbai were halted at Udhna: the Bandra-Gorakhpur at 1 pm and Valsad-Mau at 4:05 pm, allowing more passengers to board. Six trains departed that morning, including to Jaynagar, Madhubani, and Brahmapur. Western Railway Superintendent of Police Abhay Soni told The Indian Express, “The situation went out of control when a train stopped at Udhna. We brought the crowd under control and will increase security for the coming weekend.”
Migrant workers from Surat's industries have been returning since mid-March due to an LPG shortage triggered by the West Asia conflict, prompting textile units to cut working hours. Over 300 railway security personnel, including 150 GRP and 150 RPF, plus Gujarat police, were deployed. More than 23,000 passengers were facilitated to travel from the station on Sunday.
