View source for Begunkodor railway station

{{short description|Railway station}}
{{Infobox station
| name            = Begunkodor railway station
| type            = [[Indian Railways]] station
| style = Indian Railways
| image           = 
| image_size      = 
| image_caption   = 
| address         = [[Begunkodor]], [[Purulia district]], [[West Bengal]]
| country         = India
| coordinates     = {{coord|23.3875|86.0217|type:railwaystation_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| elevation       = {{convert|308|m|ft}}
| line            = Double electrified BG
| other           = 
| structure       = 
| platform        = 2
| tracks          = 2
| entrances       = 
| parking         = Not available
| baggage_check   = 
| opened          = 1960
| closed          = 1967
| rebuilt         = 2009
| electrified     =
| ADA             = 
| code            = {{Indian railway code
  | code = BKDR
  | zone = [[South Eastern Railway zone|South Eastern Railway]]
  | division = Ranchi Division
  }}
| owned           = 
| operator        = 
| status          = Functional
| former          = 
| passengers      = 
| pass_year       = 
| pass_percent    = 
| pass_system     = 
| services = {{s-rail|title=Indian Railways}}
{{s-line|system=Indian Railways|previous= Kotshila Junction|next= Jhalda|line=South Eastern Railway zone|branch= Purulia–Muri line|rows1=1}}
| map_locator     = 
}}

'''Begunkodor railway station''' is a Haunted railway station of [[Ranchi railway division]] of the [[South Eastern Railway zone]] of the [[Indian Railways]]. It serves the nearby area of [[Begunkodor]] and [[Jhalda]] town in the [[Purulia district]] in the Indian state of [[West Bengal]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.totaltraininfo.com/station/BKDR/|title=BKDR / Begunkodor|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref> Passengers deserted the station and it had come to be known as haunted in Railway records. The station was listed by Railways as one of its 10 haunted stations in India.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/west-bengals-begunkodor-no-longer-a-haunted-railway-station/article22335045.ece|title=West Bengal's Begunkodor no longer a haunted railway station|work=The Hindu|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref>

==History==
Begunkodor station was set up by the joint efforts of the queen of [[Santal people|Santals]], Lachan Kumari and Indian Railways in the year 1960.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.railnews.in/begun-kodar-popularly-known-as-ghost-station-on-the-indian-railways/|title=Begun Kodar popularly known as Ghost Station|website=railnews.in|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref>

==Controversy==
According to the villagers of Begunkodor, in 1967, a railway employee reported the sighting of a woman's [[ghost]], and it was rumored that she had died in a railway accident. 
The next day he told people about it but they ignored him. A seemingly first-hand account of the incident was published, with details of what had actually happened at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Noorie |url= |magazine=Night to Dawn 41 |publisher=Night to Dawn Magazine and Books, LLC}}</ref>

The real trouble started when the dead bodies of the station master and his family were found in their quarters. The station was subsequently closed as trains stopped making halts here due to alleged paranormal phenomena. It was the last movement there.

In the late 1990s the villagers formed a committee and asked the officials to reopen the station. In 2007, local villagers wrote to then [[Minister of Railways (India)|Railway minister]] Smt [[Mamata Banerjee]] and [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPIM]] leader [[Basudeb Acharia]], who belongs to [[Purulia]] and was member of the parliamentary standing committee on Railways at the time. But the haunted tag remains. Acharia said that railway employees had made up the story to avoid being posted there. 
After 42 years, in August 2009, the railway station was finally reopened as a passenger train halt, by former Railway minister Mamata Banerjee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/now-take-a-tour-of-bengal-s-haunted-railway-station/story-QoX5uBhnKoy9bdEQdZbJUL.html|title=Now, take a tour of Bengal's haunted railway station|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref>

However, regularly 10 trains halt here, but passengers still avoid using the station after sunset.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/a-night-in-the-life-of-begunkodar-railway-station-purulia-5041776/|title=The ghost and the darkness|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref> Many ghost hunters have visited the station repeatedly confirming that there is no presence of ghosts. Presently Begunkodor railway station was being touted by certain people for some time as a ghost tourist spot to attract visitors.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/dec/31/myth-of-west-bengals-haunted-begunkodar-railway-station-busted-after-50-years-1741019.html|title=Myth of West Bengal's 'haunted' Begunkodar railway station busted after 50 years|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}

[[Category:Railway stations in Purulia district]]
[[Category:Ranchi railway division]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in West Bengal]]
[[Category:Reportedly haunted locations in India]]