New Delhi, January 23
In a bizarre incident that is likely to the embarrass the Indian defence
establishment, five persons (six according to UNI), including a woman, lost their lives after they were run over by a speeding Sampoorna Kranti Express moments after being allegedly thrown from another train waiting on the adjoining track at the Shikohabad railway station today.
The tragic incident
occurred at about 4.47 a.m. today. Bodies of three of the five persons who lost their lives have been identified.
Sources said that a group of people had boarded an unreserved compartment of the 3483 Farakka-Bhiwani Express (via Old Delhi) at Etawah in the early hours. Shortly after boarding the train they had an altercation with Army personnel who were travelling in the compartment.
The Farakka-Bhiwani express halted for a scheduled stop at Shikhohabad at 4.43 a.m and these people were reportedly forced to get down from the train by the Army personnel. While some people fell over on the platform five of them fell on the yard side of the station.
Moments later, the Sampark Kranti express which was travelling from Patna at a very high speed on the adjoining track crushed all five of them, reports said.
The Sampoorna Kranti express did not have a scheduled stop at Shikhohabad and therefore, was travelling at a high speed giving very little time for these passengers who had disembarked on the yard side to react.
The sources said that the altercation started when the Army personnel failed to prevent the people from boarding the unreserved compartment at Etawah even though it was
overcrowded already.
An Army spokesperson in Delhi refused to comment on the incident. The sources, however said that four armymen had been arrested by the Government Railway Police in connection with the incident and a case has been registered against them.
Three of the deceased were identified as Nemilal, a resident of Bhind in Madhya Pradesh, Sukhram and Mahesh Chandra, both residents of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, while the identity of the woman and a man was yet to be ascertained, the police said.
The injured were admitted to a hospital, police said. Three Army jawans - Jogendra Singh, Pradeep Kumar and Rajendra Kumar - and a BSF personnel — Deepawal Biswas - had been arrested in connection with the incident, the police added.
