Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday wrote to Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, seeking a thorough, impartial and time-bound investigation into the death of 20-year-old Assam dancer Himashree Boro, whose body was found in Andhra Pradesh after she went missing during a train journey on October 6.
Sarma shared the letters on social media on Friday and said, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic demise of Himashri Boro. My heartfelt condolences to her family in this hour of grief.”
Boro, a resident of Chapaidong in Kamrup district, went missing while travelling on the Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari Vivek Express (22503) on October 6. “On 6th October, her family received a distressing message from her, expressing fear due to the presence of many men around her,” Sarma wrote to Naidu.
He said that her bag was found in the train’s S2 coach and her body was later recovered from a forested area near Malayapuram in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district. “In view of these circumstances, which raise a serious suspicion of foul play, the incident has caused profound grief and concern in Assam,” the chief minister said in his letter.
Sarma requested Naidu to order a thorough, impartial and time-bound inquiry into her boarding the train, disappearance and the recovery of her body, so that the truth could be established and those responsible, if any, brought to justice.
{{/usCountry}}Sarma requested Naidu to order a thorough, impartial and time-bound inquiry into her boarding the train, disappearance and the recovery of her body, so that the truth could be established and those responsible, if any, brought to justice.
{{/usCountry}}In his letter to Vaishnaw, Sarma sought a similar inquiry through the railway authorities, including into the events that transpired during the journey.
He also deputed a senior Assam Police officer to Andhra Pradesh to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies. “The safety of the people of Assam, wherever they may be, remains our highest priority,” he added.
After Boro’s death, the railway department said that a complaint was received by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at around 3 am on October 6, alleging that some co-passengers had misbehaved with a female passenger believed to be Boro. The complaint was received after the train reached Srikakulam, officials said.
Chief public relations officer of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said railway personnel attended the S2 coach after receiving the complaint but could not find the woman.
“On October 6, there was a complaint to the railway authorities from the Vivek Express that some co-passengers had allegedly misbehaved with another passenger, who is now suspected to be the missing Assam woman,” Sharma said.
He said railway officials later searched for the missing passenger and examined CCTV footage and mobile phone details. Her body was recovered the following day, he added.
Boro had travelled to Andhra Pradesh with an Assamese dance troupe comprising eight women and two men, according to her family. She later decided to return to Guwahati as she was scheduled to appear for an SBI recruitment examination on October 9.
Her family said she had initially booked a ticket for October 5. It remained on the waiting list and was eventually cancelled after it failed to get confirmed, but she boarded the Vivek Express. She remained in contact with relatives and friends during the journey and later told her friend Jyoti Choudhury that some young men in the coach were allegedly making obscene gestures and misbehaving with her.
Boro also sent a short video to relatives and friends indicating that she felt unsafe, her family members said. Choudhury also contacted the railway helpline 139 to alert officials about her distress, they added.
However, communication with Boro was later lost, although her phone continued to ring when family members tried to contact her. They also shared the name of a co-passenger who allegedly assaulted her on the train, but the police have not confirmed this.
Railway officials said the body was recovered by the Andhra Pradesh police and that they were investigating the matter further. Her family members said they were yet to receive the body, which was sent to a government hospital in Andhra Pradesh on October 6.