FOUR railway gangmen were run over by a train while they were repairing a track in Hardoi district Monday morning. The incident took place between Sandila and Umarpali stations, police said.
Moradabad Divisional Railway Manager Ajay Kumar Singh has formed a three-member committee to probe what led to the tragedy.
Deepak Kumar, chief public relations officer of Northern Railways, said, “As part of routine work, the gangmen were busy repairing the railway track using a welding machine. At around 11.55 am, the Amritsar-bound Howrah-Amritsar Akal Takht Express train ran over them.”
Superintendent of Police, Government Railway Police (Lucknow), Saumitra Yadav said that “prime facie, it has come to light that the gangmen had not taken official permission before starting repair work.”
Block permission is taken from concerned railway zones before any repair work to ensure that workers are not caught in between two approaching trains.
An FIR has been registered against unidentified railway employees under IPC sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304 A (causing death by negligence), said station house officer (SHO) of Sandila police station Jagdish Yadav.
The deceased have been identified as Rajesh Kumar, Kaushlendra, Rajinder and Ram Swaroop Singh, all of whom were residents of Hardoi.
Circle Officer (Sandila) Nagesh Kumar Mishra said, “At around 12 pm, we got information from the police control room that four persons were run over by a train between Sandila and Umarpali stations. A police team rushed to the spot.”
He further said, “The victims were railway employees. The Howrah-Amritsar Akal Takht Express had hit them while they were working on a track. I have come to know that the Kisan Express was passing on the adjacent track at the same time when the four were run over.”
No witnesses have come forward so far.