One city, two databases. A glaring discrepancy has emerged between official figures released by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) on deaths and injuries along Mumbai’s suburban railway, with more than 1000 fatalities unaccounted for in one set of records.
Railway safety activist Samir Zaveri has flagged the inconsistency in a letter dated October 28, addressed to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Central Railway GM, and the Principal Chief Security Commissioner (RPF), demanding that both agencies reconcile their data and release corrected numbers for 2024.
According to the RPF’s official report (dated October 16, 2025), there were 643 deaths and 1175 injuries on Central Railway’s Mumbai suburban network in 2024. However, RTI data obtained by Zaveri from the GRP’s Mumbai Railway Police Commissionerate paints a starkly different picture: 1655 deaths and 1462 injuries in the same period.
That’s 1012 more fatalities and 287 more injuries than what the RPF reported. “Every station master issues triplicate memos for each death or injury — two copies go to the GRP for hospital procedures. These records exist and can easily be matched,” Zaveri said, urging authorities to “verify and rectify” the mismatch.
RPF’s stand
RPF report, signed by Assistant Security Commissioner (CIB/HQ) Jitendra Kumar Sinha, claims that accidents fell by 18–25 per cent in 2025 (till September) compared to 2024. It credits safety drives, including fencing, new mid-section footbridges, ramp removals, and proposals for automatic train doors, CCTV monitoring, for the improvement.
Despite RPF’s claims, activists and commuters have questioned the credibility of its data. “The RPF reports to the Railway Ministry, while the GRP is under Maharashtra Police. The lack of a unified reporting system results in massive inconsistencies,” admitted a senior railway official.
Zaveri, who lost both legs in a train accident and has long campaigned for rail safety, said, “This isn’t just about numbers; every figure represents a life lost or changed forever.” He has demanded a joint RPF-GRP audit of casualty data and public disclosure of corrected 2024 figures. “Until then,” he warned, “claims of improved suburban safety are unreliable.”
