माधवपुर - Part 2

The year 1967

In the 1960s, a railway station named Begun Kodar was established in Purulia district near the border of Jharkhand and West Bengal. Within a few years of its establishment, the station was declared "haunted" by the government and closed down.

Locals say that everything changed after the day a young woman's body was found on the railway track.

There is no concrete evidence available about the cause of death, some say she was killed by railway employees while some believe she committed suicide.

After that incident, people there saw her shadow in a white saree many times. The shadow was seen only twice a week on the day of her death. Once in the morning, before sunrise, and the second time at night.

The People around were reluctant to even go towards the station after dusk.

Outsiders did not believe these stories, calling them fabricated. The sensation spread when the station master himself confirmed it. He was one of the few who survived after seeing that shadow from the closest.

A few days after this, the station master died mysteriously. No one could find out how he died.

This incident was of 1967, and this news was published in many big newspapers. Railway employees now started refusing to work at that station. When a train passes through there at night, the passengers are informed in advance that Begun Kodar station is about to arrive. Even today people close the windows and doors of the train out of fear.

The incident of Begun Kodar gradually spread throughout India, and is now popular as a scary folktale.

The year 2002

"Next station?" asked the train's pilot Vishwajit Roy, looking at his co-pilot Arup Ghosh.
Arup, "Madhavpur Sir."

Vishwajit, "Have you seen any passenger at this station till date?"
Arup, "I have not seen."

Vishwajit, "Why doesn't the government shut it down?"
Arup, "Like they did with Begun Kodar?"

Vishwajit, "Yes, of course. What do you think? Do you believe in these things?"
Arup, "I don't know, but I think there are powers in the universe that we don't know about."

Vishwajit, "So are there ghosts?"
Arup, "I don't think so."

Vishwajit, "I have known a woman since childhood, she is not educated. One day she got possessed by a ghost. She was making strange noises. Her family took her to Lumbini Park Mental Hospital. The doctors kept her under observation for two days, they found out that she was speaking Hebrew."

Arup, "Hebrew?"

Vishwajit, "Yes, and the surprising thing was that she did not know anyone in her life who spoke Hebrew."
Arup, "Did she get well?"

Vishwajit, "The doctors tried a lot of medicines, she would faint and after regaining consciousness, she would start mumbling again. A Maulvi sahab came, he read something and sprinkled water on her and she got well. All the doctors were surprised. How do you see this?"

Arup, "The signal light is not on."
Vishwajit, "What?"

Arup, "No one is giving a signal from the station."

"Talk to the control room," Vishwajit said irritably.

"Control room, 5959 Kamrup Express, I am not getting any signal from the station, over."

"Control room, 5959 Kamrup Express, speaking again I am not getting any signal from the station, over." There was no response, Arup said.

"No one is bothered, everyone must be sleeping." Grumpily Vishwajit blew the horn and slowed down the train. He blew the horn again but did not get any signal.

"What is going on here? Contact the control room in Dibrugarh." Vishwajit said suspiciously.

Arup:

"Dibrugarh control, train number 5959, Kamrup Express. I am at signal KM 156/4, over."

Control room:

"5959 Kamrup Express, this is control, please say further, over."

Arup:

"We are moving at a speed of 20 km/h from KM 156/4, Madhavpur station is 200 meters away, permission to stop is required, over."

Control room:

"5959 Kamrup Express, you are not allowed to stop at the station, increase the speed of the train, and leave from there quickly, over."

On hearing this, both the pilots were shocked. Without thinking, Arup immediately replied:

"5959 Kamrup Express, understood, I am increasing the speed of the train, over and out."

The train was just passing through the platform, Vishwajeet increased the speed of the train to full speed as soon as he put down the walkie-talkie and left from there.

Only one person was left behind at the station, he was - Detective Raghav Sharma.

To be Continued...