Assam girl's lifeless body found near Andhra tracks after returning from a dance troup
The body of a Guwahati college girl, who had reportedly gone missing after boarding a home-bound train from Andhra Pradesh two days ago, has been recovered near railway tracks in the southern state, with her family alleging it to be a murder case on Thursday.
The deceased, who had gone to Andhra Pradesh as part of a dance troupe, had boarded the train at Visakhapatnam at around 12.15 am on October 6, with a local acquaintance accompanying her to the station, her family members said here.
CCTV footage of the station showed her with the friend and also getting up on a coach later, surrounded by several other passengers.
A student of a local college and a resident of Bonda area of the city, she had travelled to Visakhapatnam for a dance competition, but was returning alone ahead of others as she was scheduled to appear for an exam in Guwahati.
“After getting on the train, she called me and another friend of hers, and told us that she was feeling uncomfortable in the coach. There were inebriated men all around, making her feel unsafe,” a sister-in-law of the deceased said.
She had shared a video of the inside of the coach with her friend before they lost contact with her around 2.30-3 am.
The sister-in-law said they had contacted the Railway Helpline and shared details of her train, and were told by the authorities that the Railway Police Force (RPF) was being sent to check on her.
“But we never heard back about her being safe. Her body has now been recovered near the railway tracks in Andhra Pradesh itself. Her two bags have been found intact inside the coach,” she said.
Alleging negligence on the part of the RPF, the sister-in-law demanded a thorough investigation into the death.
Local Dimoria MLA Tapan Das, visiting the bereaved family, said the body would be brought back by the state government.
“Post-mortem has to be done there. After that, a flight schedule will have to be worked out as there are no direct flights to Guwahati. We are coordinating and trying to ensure that the body can be brought back at the earliest without any family member having to go to claim it,” he said.
