Who Will Bring Back My Daughter?” — Grieving Mother’s Cry After Mumbai Train Tragedy

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Mumbai: “Who will bring back my daughter? Was it the police, the protestors, or the railway that failed her?” — these are the haunting words of a heartbroken mother who lost her 19-year-old daughter, Hailey Momaya, in a tragic train accident near Mumbai’s Sandhurst Road railway station on Thursday evening.

The incident occurred around 7:15 PM when a Central Railway (CR) local train struck a group of passengers amid chaos triggered by a sudden protest by railway employees. Two people lost their lives, while three others were severely injured. The victims had stepped down from a halted train due to the strike and were walking along the tracks when they were hit by an Ambarnath fast local train heading toward CSMT.

The Tragedy Unfolds

What began as an hour-long protest by Central Railway unions — demanding the withdrawal of FIRs against two engineers and senior officials — soon spiraled into confusion and tragedy. As the strike disrupted services during peak hours, thousands of commuters were stranded, forcing many to walk along the tracks to reach their destinations.

When train services suddenly resumed, the unsuspecting passengers on the tracks were struck by the speeding train.

Five victims were rushed to JJ Hospital, where Hailey Momaya (19) and Suryakant Naik (45) were declared dead on arrival. Hailey’s aunt, Khushboo, sustained a fractured arm and is being treated at a private hospital. Two others — 62-year-old Yafiza Chougule and her 22-year-old son Kaif — were also hospitalized, with Yafiza reported to be in critical condition.

Hailey’s Last Journey

Hailey, a first-year BA student at Somaiya College, was traveling with her aunt to South Mumbai for an errand. Her father, Priyesh Momaya, works in the stock market, and the family lives in Matunga. “She had called her mother before leaving, promising to return early,” a relative said tearfully.

Hailey’s mother, Sheetal Momaya, was inconsolable at JJ Hospital. “I had a strange feeling all day… something wasn’t right,” she said through tears. “And now, I will never see my daughter again. The protest, the chaos, the lack of control — who is accountable for this? Today, it’s my daughter. Tomorrow, it will be someone else’s.”

Chaos on the Tracks

According to the Government Railway Police (GRP), several passengers got off stalled trains near Sandhurst Road due to suffocation and crowding. Yafiza and her son Kaif began walking toward a relative’s house nearby, and Hailey, Khushboo, and Naik followed them on foot along the tracks. Moments later, the strike was called off, and trains resumed — leading to the deadly collision.

The GRP has recorded Kaif’s statement, confirming that the protest and confusion directly led to the tragedy.

Protest Background

The flash strike by CR employees began around 5:30 PM, in protest against an FIR filed by GRP on November 1 against two railway engineers over an earlier June incident in Mumbra that killed five people. Union leaders from CRMS and NFIR staged demonstrations at CSMT, demanding the FIR’s withdrawal.

With no clear announcements made, passengers panicked as trains halted across the central line — including at CSMT, Byculla, and Sandhurst Road — causing chaos and overcrowding.

Officials Visit Victim’s Family

Train services resumed at 6:30 PM, but the damage had already been done. Local MLA Amin Patel visited JJ Hospital and met Hailey’s grieving family, assuring them of support. “Action must be taken against those responsible,” Sheetal demanded. “My daughter is gone. Who will bring her back? Why were protestors allowed to block trains during rush hour? Why didn’t the police act in time?”

As Mumbai mourns another tragedy born of negligence and disorder, Hailey’s mother’s cry echoes through every commuter’s heart — a question that still has no answer:
“Who will bring back my daughter?”