Gujarat: Disabled man dies after being pushed off running train during argument over seats

The incident took place on the intervening night of May 13 and 14 while train number 19016 Saurashtra Express, which was going from Porbandar to Dadar in Maharashtra, was moving between Jamnagar and Hapa railway stations.

Inspector Bharti Vegda of the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Jamnagar Railway station said that a fight had taken place over seats in the Divyang compartment of the train before the incident.

While the deceased, Hitesh Kanji Mistry, and the complainant, Paul Mathur Makwana, had boarded the train from Porbandar and were headed to Vadodara, the accused persons, Haji Ayub Katiya (35) and Saddam Kasam Kachaliya (33), had boarded the train from Jamnagar and were headed to Rajkot.

Vegda said that when the accused persons boarded the Divyang compartment despite being able bodied, Makwana and Mistry were already on their seats. As the two accused began arguing with Mistry and Makwana over the seats, the latter got off the train at one of the stations and climbed into another compartment while the fight continued between the two accused and Mistry, Vegda added.

During the argument, Mistry was pushed off the train by the two accused persons, said the inspector.

When Hapa railway station arrived, one of the accused got off the train and began running on the station after which, seeing his suspicious behaviour, GRP personnel detained him, said police.

Later, when Makwana went back to the Divyang compartment and did not find Mistry at his seat, he filed a complaint.

The FIR was filed under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 103(1) (murder). While one accused was already detained by the GRP at Hapa, investigation led the police to the other accused at his home in Jamnagar, leading to the arrest of both. Mistry’s body was found on the tracks between Jamnagar and Hapa railway stations.