Last rites of woman who died with child in her lap at railway station performed

The Government Railway Police (GRP) found the unidentified woman with the boy sleeping on her lap with his hands around her neck on a platform on Sunday morning

The last rites of a 35-year-old woman who was found dead on a platform of Bihar’s Bhagalpur railway station on Sunday was performed on Thursday after authorities failed to find her family.

Police officers said they are looking for the family of the three-year-old boy who was found at Bihar’s Bhagalpur railway station. (HT Photo)

The woman was found dead on the platform with her three-year-old boy sleeping on her lap, unaware of her demise.

The specially-abled child was rescued by Bhagalpur railway police and was handed over to the child welfare committee (CWC). The boy is now staying in a childcare home.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) found the unidentified woman with the boy sleeping on her lap with his hands around her neck on a platform on Sunday morning. She was taken to a nearby government hospital where doctors declared her dead.

GRP inspector Arvind Kumar said, “The body was kept in the mortuary for 72 hours for the identification and when her identity could not be ascertained, her last rites were performed.”

“An investigation is on to ascertain the identity and address of the mother and the boy who is now in a home for children”, GRP inspector said.

The police had pasted the posters of the mother and child in different parts of the city to find their family members.

The officials scanned the CCTV footage to ascertain which train the mother and son took to reach Bhagalpur station but they couldn’t find any clue.

They believe that the woman and her child had reached Bhagalpur railway station on Saturday and on Sunday night, she died.

“She might have died from hunger as she appeared extremely malnourished,” a railway official said, on condition of anonymity.

Her post-mortem was conducted on Wednesday and officials said the report citing reason for her death was yet to be received.

Vikram Kant Mishra, chief welfare committee (CWC) chaiperson, Bhagalpur said, “We will wait for the legitimate father of the child and if he does not turn up, the child will be kept at the adoption centre in Nathnagar.”

Pankaj Kumar Pandey, centre coordinator Railway childline Bhagalpur said, “We made all possible efforts so that the child could reach his father but no headway has been made so far.”

He said the child was taken to a hospital where he was checked and provided medicines.

“The child is malnourished and we are taking proper care of the boy,” he said.

In a similar incident reported in May 2020, a 14-second video of a two-year-old boy trying to wake her mother up, who was already dead, at Muzaffarpur railway station had gone viral.