A Kolkata-based organization dedicated to paranormal research is expanding its roster of haunted destinations for adventurous travelers seeking encounters with spirits nationwide. Following the success of their inaugural ghost tour of Begunkodar, a notorious haunted railway station in West Bengal’s Purulia district, they’re broadening their itinerary to include more chilling locations.
Eleven individuals participated in the tour organized by the Systematic Paranormal Investigation, Research, and Intelligence Team, exploring the ghost-infested Begunkodar station on July 23. The station had been closed for approximately four decades due to widespread reports from locals claiming sightings of spirits and ghosts. It wasn’t until 2009 that the station was reopened after its long hiatus.
The mystery behind Railway station
In Purulia district, West Bengal, lies a railway station that sends shivers down people’s spines just at the mention of its name. It’s so dreaded that no railway worker dared to set foot there, leading to its closure for 42 years. Even now, when trains pass by, an eerie silence fills the air. No one dares to visit after dusk, not even animals. It’s a place wrapped in fear and mystery, haunting the imaginations of those who hear its tale.
Begunkodar is the name of this station, once a bustling hub back in the 1960s, thanks to the efforts of Santhal’s queen, Lachan Kumari. Its opening brought joy to the surrounding communities, promising new opportunities. However, this happiness soon turned to fear. In 1967, the station master claimed to have encountered a witch on the railway tracks, casting a shadow of dread over the station and its vicinity.
As per the station master’s account, the witch appeared clad in a white saree, wandering the railway tracks at night. This tale swiftly circulated, with numerous others asserting sightings of the spectral figure. Speculation arose that the ghostly apparition was that of a girl who tragically ended her life on those very tracks, now transformed into a vengeful spirit. Subhashish Datta Rai, a veteran of Indian Railways for over two decades, witnessed the impact of this haunting legend.
Despite the railway administration’s dismissal of the rumors, a tragic incident occurred shortly thereafter: the station master and his family were found dead under suspicious circumstances. This event lent credibility to the eerie tales circulating about the station. With the station master’s demise, all employees stationed there refused to continue working, causing trains to cease halting at the station. Despite the railway’s attempts to deploy new staff, none were willing to take on the duty. Eventually, the authorities announced the station’s closure. Subsequently, it became a true “ghost” station, with passengers on passing trains feeling a chill of fear as they went by.
In the 1990s, local voices clamored for the revival of the station, a sentiment that resonated with railway authorities. After 42 years of closure, in 2009, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee spearheaded the reopening of Begunkodar railway station. Presently, it functions as a halt station managed by a private venting company. Remarkably, there are still no railway employees stationed here, even to this day.
