Five youths on train top crushed to death

TNN

Ajmer/Jaipur, 26 September 2011: Five youths travelling on the roof of Gwalior-Udaipur intercity train were killed when they were crushed under a bridge in the wee hours of Sunday. The youths boarded the train from various stations to participate in the entrance examination of Patwari slated for the day.

 

Roof-top travel is illegal in India but common (AFP/File)

 

In January this year, three youths were killed and six others injured in a similar incident while traveling on the roof of the same train in Ajmer-Bhilwara section. The repetition of the incident shows that the Ajmer division of north western railways (NWR) has failed to learn any lessons from it.

 

"These youths were traveling on the Gwalior-Udaipur Intercity Express for reaching different examination centres to participate in the Patwari entrance examination," said Lalit Bohra, chief public relations officer, North Western Railway talking to TOI on Sunday.

 

The incident took place at 1.25 am on Sunday when the youth got crushed under a railway bridge. "It was so gruesome that GRP found blood stains at various places upto a distance of hundred kilometres," Bohra said.

 

According to railway sources, the staff in the train were unaware of the accident till the train reached the Bhilwara railway station where other passengers on the roof started screaming.

 

"We have been making announcements on platform that passengers should not travel on roof top. Our team had also attempted to take them down but the youths opposed it," said Suresh Maharaniya SHO, GRP, Ajmer.

 

Sources said that as the train left the Ajmer railway platform, the youths sitting on the roof smashed into the footover bridge of Gadi Malyan some two km from the main platform.

 

The railway authorities came to know about it nearly three hours after the accident.

 

Preliminary investigations also found that there was no light on the overbridge. "We were shouting for the help but train was speeding and nobody heard us. Finally, at Bhilwara railway station the accident came to the notice of railway authorities," an eyewitness claimed.

 

The deceased included Ramesh Kumar (21) a resident of Hanumangarh, Kamlesh (19) of Chomu village near Jaipur, Shiv Parsad (22) of Manhorpura Jaipur, Parmeshwar (20) from Sikar and Anil (22) from Sikar.

 

The seriously injured were referred to JLN hospital and some were taken to Bhilwara government hospital.