M l Ram, a guard in a coal-laden goods train was found murdered in a running train at Chhipadohar railway station under East Central Railways of Dhanbad division on Friday night, said sources.
Ram’s face was hit with a blunt object like wooden piece which the railway police have seized from the guard van. Sources added that Ram’s face had blood all around depicting his death to be most barbaric in nature. According to sources, three to four people could have done the crime in a running train.
DIG police Palamu Saket Kumar Singh confirmed the death of goods train guard Ram in the running train last night. DIG said that latehar district police are extending all help to GRP in this regard.
However DIG said this goods train had an unauthorised stop between Kumandi railway station and Hehegara railway station. The railway officials must find out the reason behind this unauthorised stop, said Saket.
DIG said all was well with this train from Toree railway station to latehar railway station. Foul play started between Kumandi railway station and Chhipadohar railway station.
Daltonganj railway station superintendent G P Hansda has also corroborated the version of DIG Saket that this goods train had an unauthorised stop between Kumandi railway station and Hehegara railway station.
However this railway official denied another unauthorised stop of this goods train between Hehegara railway station and Chhipadohar railway station. Other sources in the railway also hinted at the second unauthorised stop of this train. Hansda said Ram was found dead at Chhipadohar railway station as he had failed to show ‘All Right Signal’ at the previous railway station Hehegara and hence this goods train was stopped at Chhipadohar .
DIG Saket claimed that the murder of this railway official could be centred around this unauthorised stop as miscreants could have boarded the guard van where any brawl could have erupted leading to this fatality of the train guard Ram.
DIG said there is a practice of boarding goods train unauthorisedly by lumpen elements and the railways must pay attention towards this.
Railway official Hansda agreeing with DIG’s version said the miscreants wanting free and illegal journey in this goods train could have committed this heinous crime.
DIG has strongly ruled out any extremist hand behind this saying “The seizure of blood stained wooden piece with which Ram’s face was so brutalised to death could never be of any extremist outfit as Naxals waste hardly any time in using such a weapon/article and own the responsibility for the offence that they commit very soon,”
The murder in the running goods train saw railway traffic going haywire for ten hours. Railway officials and personnel went on strike for more than ten hours. Ajmer express, Palamu express, Varansi express, Howrah Jabalpur express train were detained at various railway stations for hours ranging between 3 to 8 said Hansda.
Railway traffic was resumed after the assurance of DRM Dhanbad who arrived here early in the morning.