Three BJP supporters from Murshidabad were run over by a Sealdah-bound local train near the Taherpur railway station in the early hours of Saturday while they were relieving themselves close to the tracks amid dense fog and poor visibility.

The trio had travelled to Nadia’s Taherpur to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meeting.

The deceased were Ramprasad Ghosh, 74, Saktipada Sutradhar, 55, and Gopinath Das, 35. Two others, Bhairav Ghosh, 47, and Bikash Ghosh, 40, sustained critical injuries and were admitted to the Nadia district hospital in Krishnanagar. All the victims were residents of Burwan in Murshidabad district.

According to local sources and fellow party supporters, the group had set out from Sabaldaha village in Burwan, nearly 150km from Taherpur, in a bus around 11pm on Friday night. While nearing their destination, the bus halted on a stretch of road running alongside the railway tracks between Taherpur and Badkulla stations.

The incident occurred around 4.30 am, when several members of the group got down to relieve themselves near the tracks. With thick fog severely limiting visibility, they misjudged the distance of an approaching train and were struck by the Sealdah-bound Krishnanagar local, killing three on the spot.

Some of the accompanying supporters said that curiosity also drew them close to the tracks, as Burwan, from where they hail, does not have railway connectivity. The shock of the incident spread rapidly back to the village as news reached family members in the morning.

Jamuna Ghosh, 68, the widow of Ramprasad Ghosh, a physically challenged woman, struggled to come to terms with the loss.

“I got the news that they were run over by a train. I don’t know how this happened. I don’t know what to do now. I can’t walk properly anymore, and I don’t know how I will live my life,” an inconsolable Jamuna said.

The tragedy triggered a sharp exchange between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. Trinamool accused the BJP of insensitivity, alleging that the party went ahead with the Prime Minister’s programme without any senior leader immediately reaching out to the bereaved families.

Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra was the first to react publicly, posting on X and accusing the BJP of attempting to hush up the incident.

“Terrible tragedy hushed up at the altar of @narendramodi ego. @BJP4India supporters brought from far Murshidabad for PM rally in Ranaghat today. Rally next to rail line. Four went to answer nature’s call and were killed by 31814 DN local train near Taherpur. BJP ignored, blacked out and went ahead with rally,” she wrote.

The Prime Minister began his virtual speech by expressing condolences to the victims’ families.

“I have learnt that while reaching the venue, some BJP supporters were killed in a railway accident. I convey my deep condolences to the bereaved family members of the deceased and to those who were injured. I wish them a speedy recovery in this hour of distress and shock. We are all with the bereaved families,” Modi said in his brief virtual speech.

Trinamool moved swiftly on the ground.

Acting on the direction of Trinamool's all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, a delegation went to Burwan to meet the families of the deceased and the injured. Burwan South block Trinamool president Mahe Alam Sarkar and North block president Golam Morshed visited the victims’ homes and offered condolences.

“Our leaders, Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, have instructed us to stand by the families of the deceased. As soon as we received directions from the district leadership in the morning, we came here to cooperate with the families in every possible way,” Sarkar said.

In contrast, local BJP leaders acknowledged that most of the party functionaries from the area were away attending the Prime Minister’s programme in Nadia when the accident occurred.

BJP’s Behrampur district president Malay Mahajan said: “All of us had gone out for Modiji’s public meeting. That is why none of us could immediately go to their homes. After the meeting, we will go straight to the houses of the families in Burwan. It is a very sad incident, and we will fully support the families.”

Later in the afternoon, after the Prime Minister’s programme concluded, senior BJP leaders rushed to the Nadia district hospital in Krishnanagar. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari paid tribute to the deceased after the bodies were released following the post-mortem.