Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): A passenger onboard Dhanbad-Udhna Express (09040) was stabbed to death on late Monday evening following a dispute over seating arrangements. The victim was allegedly attacked 54 times.
According to reports, the deceased has been identified as 34-year-old Shailendra Jharia, a resident of Narmadapuram. Shailendra was travelling back to his home from Satna when the verbal-spat took a fatal turn.
The train left from Jharkhand and was on its way to Surat. As it reached near Jabalpur, an altercation broke out between the accused and Shailendra regarding seating arrangements.
The accused reportedly claimed that Shailendra wrongly occupied his seat. This led to an argument between the two. Enraged, the accused stuck Shailendra with a knife for 54 times.
Panic erupted among the passengers as the accused repeatedly stabbed him. The accused took leverage of the crowd and chaos after crime and managed to flee from the scene.
The victim was immediately taken off the train at Jabalpur station and was rushed to Victoria Hospital. However, due to his critical condition, he was referred to NSCBMC (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College). Unfortunately, he was declared dead upon arrival.
Upon receiving information about the incident, GRP Station House Officer Sanjeevani Rajput, Additional Superintendent of Police, Railway Bhavana Maravi, and senior police officers arrived at the scene and began a probe. Police officials stated that they are searching for the accused based on CCTV footage and passenger statements.
The incident has once again raised serious questions about railway's security system. According to the passengers on-board, there were no security guards present on the train, nor did anyone attempt to stop the accused.
GRP Station House Officer Sanjeevani Rajput stated, "As soon as we received the information, a team of police arrived at the scene and the injured was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, he was declared dead upon arrival."
"We are scanning CCTV footages and interrogating passengers to extract information about the accused, soon the accused will be nabbed." He added. Upon the directives of the railway administration, security and routine patrolling has been increased on platforms and trains.
The incident has sparked a fear among passengers, and people have been demanding the deployment of security personnel on trains.
