Scuffle aboard special train,4 fall off,killed

The police found two of the bodies and most of the injured near the tracks at Belacoba railway station,a few kilometres from New Jalpaiguri station. We do not know the reason behind the incident. We are investigating the matter, New Jalpaiguri Area Manager Rail Partho Sarthi Seal said.

While West Bengal authorities refused to confirm more deaths,sources said bodies had been found at other spots between New Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar stations,a distance of 70-80 km. Assam Home Secretary G D Tripathi quoted his Bengal counterpart as saying four persons had been found dead. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi too confirmed four deaths at a press conference. The train,one of the many special trains coming from Bangalore with people from the Northeast fleeing the southern state,reached Guwahati Sunday morning.

Following the deaths,road blocks were seen at a few places in Jalpaiguri. Trains were stalled at some sites as a precautionary measure. At least two of the dead passengers belonged to Hailakandi district in Assam.

While the special train that saw the deaths was stopped at Cooch Behar station and a search carried out to try and identify the culprits,no one has been arrested so far.

As per one version given by eyewitnesses on the train,a group of passengers had begun looting and beating up others,leading to 11 of them falling off near the Belacoba station around 9 pm Saturday.

However,another version is that a group of passengers who boarded the special train at the New Jalpaiguri station had been attacked,leading to some falling from the train.

According to Subrata Hazong,spokesperson of the Northeast Frontier Railways,the gateman at a level crossing near the Belacoba station had heard the sound of something heavy falling and had discovered two men lying near the tracks on Saturday night. Thereafter nine more people had been found near the tracks.

No case has been registered so far, Hazong told The Indian Express from Siliguri.

Railway Minister Mukul Roy said they were sure there hadnt been any attack from outside as complete security had been provided to the passengers. The compartment in which it happened was crowded and there was a scuffle between two groups of passengers. As a result of the violence,the men fell, he said,adding that if need be,security would be tightened further.

An apprehensive Assam government went into emergency mode following the deaths on the eve of Eid. Gogoi held a high-level meeting,attended by the chief secretary,DGP and other senior officials,as well as three former DGPs,to work out contingency plans.

The state government is taking all possible measures to ensure that violence doesnt recur after Eid. The Centre has also instructed the state to remain on high alert for the days following the festival.

There are so many forces working together. There is a design to destabilise India and Assam. I am not ruling out the hand of Pakistan. I anyway had always suspected a foreign hand,but could not say it because I did not have hard evidence. Now that the Union Home Ministry has made a statement,things have become clear, Gogoi said.

The CM also requested the Railways not to provide special trains from other states to Guwahati to ferry panic-stricken people. Those people who had come home now want to go back. I am sure they will be able to go back within a couple of weeks, he said.

The Railways have announced an ex-gratia of Rs 15,000 each to the families of those who died in Sundays incident.