M A I N   N E W S

Vajpayee’s kin thrown out of train, dies; probe ordered

Agra, January 27
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s grand nephew Manish Mishra was killed when he was thrown out of a speeding train for protesting eve teasing by drunken youth near Kosi Kalan in neighbouring Mathura district on Saturday night.

An inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

The Prime Minister visited Manish’s father at Kosi Kalan near here late yesterday evening.

Mr Vajpayee assured that the miscreants would not be spared. He also assured the angry residents that financial assistance would be given to the family of Rakesh, who is lying in a state of unconsciousness in a private hospital near here.

Manish, a second-year B.Sc student and the grandson of Vajpayee’s sister Vimla Mishra, died of injuries sustained after he was thrown out of the Chhattisgarh Express between Mathura and Kosi stations by some youth when he tried to prevent them from teasing girls travelling in the general compartment, the police said yesterday.

Manish and his two friends were returning from Mathura to Kosi Kalan when they saw some students, allegedly from Meerut, teasing a group of girls. Other passengers in the compartment objected to the teasing and when the train stopped at Vrindavan Gate station, some boys got down with the girls.

When the train resumed its journey, the Meerut students, allegedly in an inebriated state, beat up the three or four remaining boys in the compartment and then started throwing them out of the train.

Manish who was one of these boys reportedly died because of the fall from the train while the two others were injured, the police said.

When Manish did not reach home, his father S.K. Mishra went to Mathura to find out what had happened. He was told by the police that a body had been found which he later confirmed was that of his son.

On confirming the death of his son, Mishra is said to have phoned the Prime Minister’s Officer to report the matter.

He is also said to have phoned up Anup Mishra, another grand nephew of the Prime Minister, who is a minister in the Madhya Pradesh Government.

Manish was a B.Sc second year student of BSA College at Mathura and used to come to college everyday from his home in Kosi.

Recounting the sequence of events, one of Manish’s friends, injured in the assault, said from his hospital bed that “they were beating us up. I was near the toilet. They said he’s dead, throw him out. Then I became unconscious...”

No arrest has been made in connection with the incident but Dipesh Juneja, SP, Agra, said three-four police teams have been formed under area chiefs who fanned out in search of the persons responsible for the incident.

Manish’s father said “we want that those involved in the incident should get severest of punishments.” Agencies