It was responding to some reports that claimed the passengers died of exhaustion, heat, and hunger. According to the data reviewed by HT, the deaths were recorded from May 9 till May 27 across several zones including the East Central Railway zone, North Eastern Railway zone, Norther Railway Zone and North Central Railway zone; and the ages of the dead ranged from 4 to 85. There have been 18 deaths in the North Eastern Railway zone, 19 in North Central zone and 13 in East Coast Railway zone. Nearly 80% of total Shramik trains are destined for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and ply on these zones. On Friday, railway minister Piyush Goyal also issued a statement appealing to people suffering from ailments to avoid travel by Shramik Trains.

Source: Hindustan Times May 29, 2020 22:53 UTC