A 34-year-old railway employee was beaten to death by fellow passengers on a Humsafar Express train after he allegedly molested an 11-year-old girl. The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday while traveling between Lucknow and Kanpur, as reported by Arvind Chauhan and Faiz Rahman Siddiqui.
The deceased, identified as Prashant Kumar, was a Group D railway staff member from Muzaffarpur district in Bihar. He had secured his position on compensatory grounds and was stationed at Begusarai railway station under the Sonpur division of East Central Railway. According to the Government Railway Police (GRP) officials, Prashant boarded the M1 coach of the Barauni-Delhi Humsafar (02563) Clone Express from Muzaffarpur to Delhi on an unreserved ticket. After being penalized by the ticket examiner, he was assigned a side lower berth.
Allegations and Assault
Around 2:30 AM on Wednesday, a minor girl traveling with her family reported to her mother that Prashant had inappropriately touched her during the journey. Upon confronting him, the girl’s mother alerted other passengers, including the girl’s father, leading to a violent assault on Prashant.When the train arrived at Kanpur Central railway station, Prashant was taken to the GRP station, where the victim’s parents filed a formal complaint against him. Despite being injured, he was initially taken into custody by the GRP. However, due to his worsening condition, he was transported to Kamlapat Memorial Hospital in Kanpur, where he was pronounced dead.
Lack of Security Measures
SP Abhishek Yadav from the Prayagraj GRP division highlighted significant lapses in security during the incident. He stated, “There were no CCTV cameras in the coach. Also, since it was a special train and not a regular one, there were no GRP and RPF squads on board.”Prashant Kumar was subsequently charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which addresses assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty.
Family and Aftermath
In the aftermath of the incident, police reported that none of Prashant’s relatives had filed a complaint regarding his death. According to Om Narayan Singh, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Kanpur Central GRP, a relative informed them that Prashant had been out of contact with his family, despite being married, and that he had been experiencing depression. Singh mentioned, “An FIR will be lodged if the family agrees to give a written complaint.”This incident has raised serious concerns regarding passenger safety and the adequacy of security measures on trains, particularly during special services where the usual protocols may not be in place.
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