Mumbai stampede: Man mistakenly declared dead, thanks to banner goof up

As if losing his uncle to Friday's tragedy wasn't enough, Govandi resident Imran Jaan Mohammed Shaikh, 34, was in for a shock when a public banner displayed at Elphinstone Road railway station, proclaimed him "dead".

Photos of the deceased put up in tribute at the station, incorrectly shows Imran Shaikh (in circle) as dead

Shaikh's uncle Masood Alam Shaikh was killed in the stampede. Imran and his uncle would commute to Parel station together every day. However, on that fateful day, they took separate trains. Imran took a fast train to Dadar, while his uncle took their regular train to Parel.

Imran (right) had asked to be cropped out of this picture, so his uncle Masood Shaikh could be identified

Following the incident, Imran and his family members had thronged KEM Hospital, where a journalist had requested Alam's photo. Since Imran had only one picture, in which he is seen with his uncle, he shared that with a journalist, and requested that his face be cropped. However, a few members from MNS used the same picture while preparing a banner to pay tribute to the deceased. They used pictures of both Alam as well as Imran, and listed them both among the dead.

Still getting calls
"My family members and I are still getting phone calls from relatives enquiring about my well being. I had to tell my relatives, 'Main zinda hoon'."

"The trauma a family faces after being given such bad news about their loved one is very hard to explain. Especially for a family that has already lost a member," said Imran's father, Jaan Mohammed Shaikh.

When the MNS workers didn't find Imran's name in the list of deceased, it should have given them an indication that something was amiss. Instead, they used the picture and identified Imran merely as 'a friend of Masood Alam Shaikh' (Imran's uncle).

The party put up this banner across the entire Elphinstone area (including outside the MNS office there), and also used the banners during Monday's candle march from Saidham temple to the stampede spot.

Shaikh's uncle Najmal Hasan, who first spotted the banner, said, "Those who have committed this mistake have no idea what pain they have caused the family. They should remove the banner immediately."

The other side
Mangesh Kasalkar, MNS vibhag pramukh, who had organised the candle march on Monday, said, "We picked up photos that went viral on Facebook and WhatsApp. If any living person's photo was put on the banner by mistake then I will get it removed immediately."

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