Madhya Pradesh cops probe CRPF man’s death

According to police, Parmar boarded the train in New Delhi on November 13 to travel to Vadodara. At 11:02 pm, as the train reached Ratlam, Parmar last spoke to his fiancee on phone and informed her that he will reach Vadodara around 4 am. However, he went missing and his luggage was found in the train at Mumbai, the train’s last destination.

On November 15, a missing person’s complaint was lodged at Vadodara railway police station as his family members sought help on social media to trace Parmar.

Meanwhile, on November 14, Ratlam police were informed by Railway Protection Force (RPF) about an unidentified body. “The RPF found a body on the tracks near Alot (in Ratlam) on the intervening night of November 13 and 14 and informed the local police. 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 the same day,” said Ratlam SP Gaurav Tiwary.

According to a preliminary examination by the doctor, the death could have been accidental after which an accidental death report was filed at Alot Police station on the same day, he said. “There was no identification mark or document with the victim. His picture was then circulated on social media and the local press was informed to trace him. Then as per procedure, the body was buried,” said Tiwary.

On November 15, the Ratlam Police found out his identity when RPF officials found Parmar’s cellphone and his luggage in the train in Mumbai.

Parmar’s family members, however, alleged that the Madhya Pradesh Police buried the body without conducting post mortem and without following procedures. “It is the basic rule that an unidentified body must be kept at least for 72 hours but MP Police buried my brother in 24 hours of finding him,” said Parmar’s brother Kuldeep.

Tiwary said, “The family members reached Ratlam on November 16. They made certain allegations against the police and demanded that the body should be exhumed and an examination by a panel of doctors be conducted. Then in the presence of the executive magistrate, the body was exhumed and a second examination by a doctors’ panel was carried out on November 17. The body was then handed over to the family.” He said the first post mortem report, which is now in, “states an accidental injury as the cause of death”. However, he said, the police were investigating further. “Three teams have been formed to probe the case. We are checking his call data records. We have also made a list of all passengers who travelled in the same coach,” said Tiwary.