A migrant woman gave birth to a girl on a train while travelling from Tripura to her native Khagaria district in Bihar on Monday during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Mother and child reached their destination late on Monday night, where they were received by the local authorities.

The 05623 Shramik Special, carrying 1,962 migrant labourers on board, left Jirania railway station for Khagaria district on Sunday. It was arranged by the Tripura government.

The NF Railways tweeted on Monday: “A lady who was travelling in the 05623 Shramik Special Train from Jirania to Khagaria delivered a baby girl at Katihar in Bihar today with the help of doctors. Both mother and child are healthy & fit to travel further. Railways wishes the newborn a happy and blissful life.”

NF Railways chief public relations officer Subhanan Chanda told reporters that the woman was certified fit to travel by a medical team in Agartala before she started her journey.

Khagaria district magistrate Alok Ranjan Ghosh said, “A team of district administration and medical personnel waited for the mother and her newborn at Khagaria railway station. We gave her some preliminary supplies like soft towels, baby soaps, masks, sanitisers and food and wished the newborn. The woman, with her child, headed off to Nawada along with 600 others, where the local authorities welcomed her. We had informed Nawada district officials about her before she reached there.”

On Monday, Tripura law minister Ratan Lal Nath had said that the train departed with 1,962 passengers. Later, the number increased to 1,963 as a pregnant woman on board delivered a child during the journey.