Kankinara: On the morning of June 28, 59-year-old train hawker Kartik Sau took his own life. Sau was a resident of the Durganagar area of Kankinara in North 24 Parganas of West Bengal. His death marks the fear among hawkers in Bengal since the new Bharatiya Janata Party government began eviction drives at railway stations from mid-May this year.Sau’s only source of livelihood were the railway tracks. This is also where he chose to die.Hawkers selling goods on running trains and railway stations say they are living in constant fear of losing their only source of income. Their families, too, are trapped in the same uncertainty. Many allege that the ongoing eviction drive linked to railway infrastructure and redevelopment has been carried out with little regard for the lives and survival of thousands of economically vulnerable people.The impact has extended beyond the stations. Makeshift settlements along the railway tracks- home to many hawkers and other low- income families have also been demolished by bulldozers action, leaving numerous families without either a livelihood or a roof over their head. Stripped of both income and shelter, many among these marginalized communities now find themselves pushed into extreme destitute.Kartik Sau’s name is now another addition to the growing list of railway hawkers whose lives have ended amid this crisis. His unnatural death has raised a troubling question: Was it inevitable that hawkers should be driven out or prevented from earning a living on running rains in this manner?‘Jhalmuri’Sau earned a living by selling jhalmuri, a spicy puffed-rice snack that gained popularity as a symbol during the BJP’s campaign in Bengal ahead of the April elections in the state. Sau would ply his trade on express trains departing from Sealdah.During a campaign visit to Jhargram in the Jangalmahal region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen eating jhalmuri at a roadside stall. After the election, new chief minister Suvendu Adhikari personally served jhalmuri to the prime minister, who spoke about this dish in his visits abroad.In this image released on June 10, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being served ‘jhalmuri’ by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi. Photo: narendramodi.in via PTI.The irony writes itself. Quite like the prime minister, Sau had been a tea vendor before he switched to jhalmuri. For three decades, Sau had had a small breakfast at the rented home he shared with his wife, son and daughters and set out for the day to the Kankinara station. From there, he would travel to the bigger station, Sealdah, around 35 kilometres away, from where express trains would leave.Sau’s fellow hawkers say there were occasional confrontations with the Railway Protection Force but they were few and far between.Sajal Kirnaniya, who sells gooseberries on the Sealdah-Bangaon local trains, and Dulal Nag, who sells bottles of cold water, tell this reporter that the eviction drives have emboldened RPF officers“After the BJP came to power in the state, a massive drive was launched in the name of the clearing and beautification of station premises. Hawkers were evicted indiscriminately with bulldozers, and the Sealdah station was declared a hawker-free zone. But it did not stop there. Even those who earned their living by selling food and other small items inside running trains are now facing relentless harassment. The RPF has categorically warned us that no one will be allowed to board train coaches to sell anything,” Kirnaniya said.West Bengal Railway Hawker Union (CITU) members stage a protest against the alleged forceful eviction of hawkers and bulldozer culture by the BJP in West Bengal, at Sealdah Railway Station, in Kolkata, Friday, May 22, 2026. Photo: PTI.Nag said that the RPF frequently imposes fines running into several thousand rupees on hawkers. “After an entire day’s work, most hawkers are left with barely Rs 100-200. How can they possibly afford to pay such heavy fines?” he asked.In the Durganagar area of Kankinara, Sau’s family lives in a dilapidated house, paying Rs 4,000 a month in rent.A few days before his death, Kartik Sau was detained by the RPF and fined Rs 1,100, his family said. The following day, when he tried to board trains with packets of Jhalmuri, RPF personnel allegedly stopped him from entering the coach. For the next four days, he repeatedly left home hoping to resume work, but each time he was prevented from boarding the trains. “Every day my husband returned home physically exhausted and emotionally shattered,” his wife Lachhmi Sau said.When contacted, Sealdah Divisional Railway Manager Rajib Saxena said he would look into the matter before commenting. He declined to make any further statements.Also read: Targeting the Poorest, the Bulldozer Comes to BengalLachhmi said that on the evening of June 27, Sau appeared devastated and refused to enter his house. His children pleaded with him, but he was resolute and stood outside, telling them that he will spend some time outside and then return.Hawkers at Kankinara station said that he eventually jumped in front of a train.‘He would simply go and sit at the railway station’Lachhmi is battling cancer and has been undergoing treatment at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. At sea now, and looking for ways in which to earn for his mother’s treatment, Rahul, Saus’ son has rented a vehicle to ply as a taxi.“Over the past few days my husband became completely withdrawn. He hardly spoke to anyone, barely ate, and could not sleep at night. Every morning, he would simply go and sit at the railway station,” Lachhmi said.Lachhmi noted that railway hawkers at Kankinara station had formed a committee under the banner of the erstwhile Trinamool Congress, where hawkers regularly contributed money. According to her, the fund was meant to help hawkers pay fines whenever they were penalised by the railway authorities. However, she alleged that after the Bengal assembly election result was announced, the TMC hawker leaders disappeared, along with the money.Rahul said that the family had voted for the BJP. “We removed the TMC, because they were corrupt and brought the BJP to power. But now they are taking away food from the mouths of poor people like us. It is because of their actions that my father is dead today,” he said.Also read: As the BJP Government Bulldozes Bengal’s Hawkers, Resistance Sprouts From a Likely QuarterWith little or no notice, eviction drives have been launched at railway station after another, with bulldozers razing hawkers’ stalls. Dum Dum, Jadavpur, Howrah, Sealdah, Uttarpara and several other stations have already witnessed large-scale drives. On June 29, bulldozers demolished stalls at the Park Circus station, while on June 30 shops and homes of hawkers near Shalimar station were reduced to rubble.A few days ago, Pramatho Nath Mondal, an umbrella seller at Chakdaha station died by alleged suicide at the station, amid fear of eviction. In Halisahar, railway hawker Biplab Ray suffered a fatal heart attack. At Dum Dum station, a woman hawker allegedly attempted to take her life as eviction fears mounted.On June 29, a team led by the Left traders’ union, CITU, visited Sau’s family. Leader Gargi Chatterjee said, “In the coming days, we will unite railway hawkers and launch a larger movement against these evictions.”If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of telephone numbers they can call to speak in confidence. Icall, a counselling service run by TISS, has maintained a crowdsourced list of therapists across the country. You could also take them to the nearest hospital.