‘Railway, police must answer’: Guwahati students protest Himashree Boro’s mysterious death

Students of B Borooah College staged a protest outside the institution in Guwahati on October 8, demanding a thorough investigation into the death of Himashree Boro, a student of the college whose body was recovered beside a railway track in Andhra Pradesh days after she went missing during her journey back to Assam.

The students gathered at the college gate carrying placards that read “Justice for Himashree Boro”, “Assam, Andhra Pradesh railway must answer”, “We resist violence and sexual harassment” and “Police, railway must be accountable.”

Speaking to reporters, the general secretary of the B Borooah College students' body demanded accountability from the police and railway authorities.

“We want justice for Himashree Boro. We want the police and the railway authorities to be held accountable for what happened,” he said.

He said the students wanted the matter to be investigated properly and those responsible to be brought to justice.

The student leader also stressed that today's demonstration was peaceful.

“We do not have any slogan. We do not protest by shouting slogans, and this is a peaceful protest,” he said.

Himashree went missing during train journey

Himashree, a resident of Chapaidong near Bonda in Narengi on the outskirts of Guwahati, had travelled to Visakhapatnam with an Assamese dance troupe for a programme and was returning to Assam alone aboard the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express.

Her family said they remained in contact with her during the journey and last spoke to her at around 1.30 pm on October 6. Her phone was subsequently switched off and the family could no longer reach her.

Family members later searched the S2 coach in which she had been travelling and found two bags and documents believed to belong to her.

The family also alleged that some young men travelling in the same coach had made obscene gestures towards Himashree. They said she had also remained in frequent contact with a woman identified as Jyoti Choudhury during the journey. These allegations have not been independently established.

The family informed the Railway Protection Force and the Panikhaiti police outpost in Guwahati after losing contact with her and appealed for information about her whereabouts.

Body recovered in Andhra Pradesh

Himashree's body was recovered on Wednesday beside a railway track at Tekkalipuram in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district, following which railway police informed her family.

The circumstances leading to her death remain unclear.

CCTV footage has since emerged showing Himashree walking along a railway platform before boarding the train. An unidentified man is seen approaching her and appearing to speak to her shortly before she boards. Another video reportedly recorded by Himashree during the journey shows her standing in the train aisle with several men around her. Investigators are examining the footage as part of the probe.

The identity and role, if any, of the unidentified man seen in the CCTV footage have not been established.

Railway police are examining CCTV recordings and other available evidence to establish what happened after Himashree boarded the train and how she came to be found beside the railway tracks.

The cause of her death and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain under investigation.