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Railway employee, caught between engine and coach, crushed to death in Bihar
The family of deceased worker alleged negligence from railway staff.
A 25-year-old railway employee was caught in between the buffer of the engine and a coach during a shunting operation and crushed to death in Bihar's Barauni Junction station on Saturday, news agency PTI reported.
A buffer is a shock-absorbing device on both ends of a train’s engine and coach, designed to reduce the impact of collisions between bogies.
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The incident happened during the shunting operation of the Lucknow Junction to Barauni Express at platform number 5. A video clip of the incident went viral on social media on Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Amar Kumar (25), a resident of Samastipur district in Bihar. Kumar's family alleged “negligence” on the part of railway staff as the reason behind the shocking incident.
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On reaching the spot, Kumar's family members opposed the conduct of a post-mortem on his body till erring railway staff was held accountable for the death.
Vivek Bhushan Sood, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of the Sonpur division, reached the spot to calm the agitated family members.
Also read: Two railway employees crushed to death by train
An official of the East Central Railway said violation of operational guidelines may have led to Kumar's fatal death. “It is a very unfortunate incident and, at the same time, a matter of concern. The set guidelines for such an operation must have been violated,” said Sharswati Chandra, Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO).
The official also said that a “high level” enquiry had been ordered to establish the reasons behind Kumar's death. He also assured strict action against any railway employee if the enquiry finds any lapses on their part.
“This shocking incident is from Barauni in Bihar. A shunting man died a painful death during the shunting of Lucknow-Barauni Express. Who is responsible for this negligence? Does the real minister care?,” asked Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate in a post on X.
(With PTI inputs)
