The shocking incident of a train ticket examiner allegedly pushing an army rifleman from a moving train sent shockwaves across the country. Nearly a week after the incident, rifleman Sonu Kumar Singh succumbed to his injuries. Now, the Army has ordered a court of inquiry into the murder of Singh.
Singh, a resident of Balia district, was trying to board the Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express train from Lucknow towards Delhi on November 17 to rejoin his duty. But the accused TTE Kuppam Boro pushed him from the moving train at Bareilly Junction railway station after a heated brawl over a ticket.
Singh sustained grievous injuries. He was immediately rushed to the military hospital by one of his colleagues who pulled the chain to stop the train. Singh lost both his legs but tragically succumbed to his injuries later. Singh, posted with the Rajput battalion in Jaipur, was visiting his native for a naming ceremony of his newborn.
"Sonu Singh underwent three surgeries at the military hospital but his severely damaged legs had to be amputated on Monday. He remained unconscious throughout the treatment process and breathed his last on Wednesday evening. After the post-mortem, the dead body was taken to Bharsota, the native village of the jawan, in Ballia district on Thursday," said Devi Dayal, deputy superintendent of government railway police, Moradabad division.
Case pursued on highest priority
The accused TTE jumped from the other side of the train and disappeared from the spot. Four search parties of GRP Bareilly have been dispatched, each to Delhi and Guwahati to arrest the accused.
Initially, an FIR was registered charging TTE Boro under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which were later changed to murder of IPC section 302.
A statement by an eyewitness Dishrag has also been recorded by GRP Provost Unit and PO Court of inquiry. The local police and the district administration are being consulted on the matter regularly, the officials said.
The Colonel of the Regiment has spoken to the AG on the issue and it is being pursued on high priority with local police, MoD and railway authorities. The court of inquiry is being undertaken by the 346 Field Artillery Regiment based in Bareilly.
"It is felt that we should avoid unnecessary discussion on social media on the subject. Rest assured that authorities are doing their best in the case," the officials said.
The regimental center officials have also reached out to the family of the victim to provide the necessary support.
