6 passengers, panicked over fire rumour, jump from moving train in UP; hospitalised
Six passengers, including two women, were injured, and they were admitted to the Shahjahanpur Medical College.
Six passengers panicked and jumped from a moving train near Uttar Pradesh's Bilpur on Sunday following rumours of a fire, according to Government Railway Police (GRP) officials.
The incident occurred in the general coach of the Howrah-Amritsar Mail in the morning near Bilpur station, part of the Moradabad division.
The panic ensued when a rumour spread that the train had caught fire as it reached Bilpur station in Bareilly. In response, someone pulled the emergency chain, causing the train to slow down. However, before it could come to a complete stop, several passengers, fearing for their lives, jumped out of the moving train.
GRP station in-charge Rehan Khan confirmed that six passengers, including two women, sustained injuries in the incident.
They were immediately admitted to Shahjahanpur Medical College for treatment.
The injured have been identified as Anwari (26), Akhtari (45), Kuldeep (26), Ruby Lal (50), Shiv Sharan (40), and Chandrapal (35).
Northern Railway spokesperson Kultar Singh initially reported that 12 passengers had been injured, though the GRP later clarified the number.
Singh also suggested that the panic might have been caused by a miscreant or an unruly passenger who activated a fire extinguisher, leading to the false impression of a fire.
"Prima facie, it looks like some miscreants or unruly passenger operated a fire extinguisher which created an impression that a fire had broken out in the general coach of the moving Howrah-Amritsar Mail," he had said.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) is currently investigating the incident.