Body of CRPF jawan found on MP railway tracks brought to Gujarat hometown, probe launched

Officers said Parmar, a native of Kodinar in Gir Somnath, was posted as a Commando of the Cobra CRPF unit in Gaya of Bihar. On November 13, Parmar, on leave, boarded the Rajdhani Express from New Delhi for Vadodara. Around 11 pm on November 13, as the train reached Ratlam in MP, Parmar last spoke to his fiancée, Hina, on the phone, telling her he would reach Vadodara around 4 am.

However, said the police, Parmar didn’t deboard at Vadodara. His luggage was found in the train at Mumbai, the final destination of the Rajdhani Express. A missing persons complaint was then lodged at Vadodara railway police station on November 15 and the family members started seeking help from railway officials on social media regarding Parmar’s missing status.

Meanwhile, on the morning of November 14, the Ratlam Police was informed by Railway Police Force (RPF) that an unidentified body had been found on the railway tracks near Alot. As per Gaurav Tiwary, superintendent of police, Ratlam, the body was found without any identification documents and the victim was dressed in civilian clothes.

“The RPF found a body at the tracks near Alot on the intervening night of November 13 and November 14. The Rajdhani Express crossed Alot between 11 pm and 11:15 pm on November 13. A post mortem was conducted, but its result was not shared by the doctor on the same day. A short PM by the doctor had opined that the death could have been accidental. So, an accidental death report was filed at Alot Police station.”

Tiwary said the body’s picture was shared on social media and in the local press in attempts to identify it.

“There was no identification mark or document with the victim. We only found a cigarette packet and a lighter. The picture was circulated on social media and the local press was also informed, so that the body could be identified. Then as per procedure, it was buried,” said Tiwary.

Parmar, 25, a native of Kodinar in Gir Somnath, was posted as a Commando of the Cobra CRPF unit in Gaya of Bihar.

It was only on November 15 that the Ratlam Police discovered the victim’s identity, when RPF officials found Parmar’s cellphone along with his luggage at the Mumbai railway station.

The victim’s family members have alleged that the Madhya Pradesh police buried Parmar’s body without conducting a post mortem or informing them.

“It is a basic rule that an unidentified body must be kept for at least 72 hours, but the MP police buried my brother within 24 hours of finding him. There was no investigation, nor family members informed. The police did not even wait for the post mortem. The way they have treated a CRPF jawan is barbaric. We want a detailed investigation and justice,” said Kuldeep Parmar, brother of Ajitsinh.

Reacting to the family’s allegations, Ratlam SP Gaurav Tiwary said, “They put certain allegations against the police and demanded that the body should be exhumed and a post mortem by a panel of doctors be conducted at Ratlam. Then, in the presence of the executive magistrate, the body was exhumed and a second PM was carried out on November 17. Then the body was handed over to the family. Meanwhile, the reports of the first post mortem have also come out, and it states the cause of death as accidental injury. We are further studying the second PM report.”

In Kodinagar, Parmar’s body was given a final procession attended by thousands of residents. Junagadh Lok Sabha MP Rajesh Chudasama also attended the procession along with local BJP and Karni Sena leaders.

Ratlam Police have launched an investigation into the death.

“Three teams have been formed to probe the case, in which one team has visited Delhi, where Parmar boarded the train, and the other team has gone to Gujarat to speak to his family members. His luggage has been brought to Ratlam and we are checking his call data records. We have made a list of all passengers who travelled in the same coach as Parmar. The investigation is being helmed by the additional superintendent of police Ratlam,” said Tiwary.

Parmar had joined the CRPF in 2017 and had initially been posted in Jammu and Kashmir before being transferred to Bihar.