Rajkumar Mahato who died in the accident (above) and Sumit Ranjan Chakraborty at NRS Hospital. Pictures by Amit Datta and Pronab Biswas

Sumit Ranjan Chakraborty, who survived the train tragedy, spoke to Metro from his hospital bed about the Wednesday morning ordeal.

I boarded the Naihati-Sealdah local from Belgharia station. The train was very crowded, as usual. I was in the first compartment, hanging out with a few others holding on to the vertical rod.

I was discussing India’s last ODI victory against England with a man hanging next to me. As the train came close to the transformer post, the rod suddenly came loose. Before I could react I lost my grip.

The man next to me hit the post and both of us fell together. A couple of seconds later, some more passengers fell and at least two landed on me.

I don’t remember too well what happened after that. The pain was unbearable and I was struggling to breathe. We were lying in a pool of blood. I passed out as I tried to crawl out from beneath the men, most of whom were unconscious.

I came to around two hours later and found myself lying on a bed at Sagar Dutta Hospital. I later learnt that my brothers, after being informed by a neighbour who saw me in the mass of men, arranged for an ambulance and took me to the hospital.

I was vomiting and feeling dizzy. Doctors suspected I had suffered an internal head injury and advised my brothers to take me to NRS Medical College and Hospital.

After a painful journey that lasted an hour — we had to stop at every major crossing between Kamarhati and Sealdah — we reached NRS at 3.30pm.

I was taken to the emergency ward from where they shifted me to the orthopaedic ward. It’s 7.30pm now and I am yet to get a bed.

The hospital authorities are making my brothers run from pillar to post. Some of those who are in charge of the ward have hinted that a bed could be arranged against some payment.

I am lying on a metal trolley which is hurting my back and waist.