The shocking tale of India's 'Cancer Train'
Everyday, the dimly lit and shabby Bhatinda railway station in the Indian state of Punjab comes to life sharp at 9 pm. The reason? The arrival of a passenger train that's been long christened as the Cancer train on platform no 2. The train leaves Bhatinda around 9.25 pm and covers a distance of about 325 km with 26 halts to reach Bikaner in the Indian state of Rajasthan at 6 am. Sometimes, it's an hour or two late. The most remarkable feature of this train is that 60% of its population are cancer patients of all ages who come from all across Punjab. This 12-coach train has gained its name from a sudden increase in cancer cases in Punjab that many blame on pesticide use, growing pollution and hardly any response by authorities. On an average, this train is the lifeline of 100 cancer patients daily, along with 200 other co-travellers and is almost always packed to near capacity. The ticket is priced at Rs 210, but for cancer patients the eight hour journey to