Assam woman Himashree Boro may have fallen from moving train, says GRP

The Government Railway Police (GRP) has said that Assam student Himashree Boro, whose body was found beside railway tracks in Andhra Pradesh days after she went missing from a train, may have fallen from the moving train, according to a preliminary inquiry.

Boro, 21, had boarded the 22503 Kanniyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express at Visakhapatnam early on October 6 while returning to Guwahati from a dance programme in Andhra Pradesh.

Her body was recovered on October 7 near the railway line between Ponduru and Dusi in Srikakulam district.

According to the railway authorities, the preliminary inquiry by GRP, Palasa, indicated that she might have fallen from the running train. However, the exact circumstances leading to her death remain under investigation.

“Prima facie, it is suspected that the deceased might have fallen from the running train,” the railway authorities said.

The family, however, has alleged foul play and demanded a thorough investigation into her death.

Railway police had searched train after distress complaint

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said a complaint was received through the Rail Madad portal on October 6 regarding alleged misbehaviour with a woman passenger travelling on the train.

The RPF at Srikakulam Road station attended to the complaint and searched the general and sleeper coaches but could not trace Boro.

Subsequent checking of CCTV footage from Visakhapatnam railway station showed Boro boarding the train in the S-2 coach after being dropped off by a local acquaintance.

Her family said Boro later contacted friends and told them she was uncomfortable because several men in the coach were allegedly making her feel unsafe. She also reportedly shared a video of the coach before contact with her was lost.

Railway authorities said the RPF had searched the train after receiving the complaint but could not locate her.

CCTV footage being examined

The GRP and RPF have registered separate cases and are investigating the circumstances surrounding Boro's death.

Statements of passengers travelling in the coach and the person seen dropping Boro at the station are being recorded, while CCTV footage from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam is being examined.

The authorities are also trying to establish the sequence of events leading to Boro's disappearance from the train and subsequent death.

Her two bags and documents were found inside the S-2 coach, according to her family.

Boro, a resident of the Bonda area of Guwahati and a student of B Borooah College, had travelled to Andhra Pradesh as part of a dance troupe. She was returning alone ahead of the rest of the group as she was scheduled to appear for an examination in Guwahati.

Students of B Borooah College staged a protest in Guwahati on Thursday, demanding a thorough investigation into her death.

The investigation is continuing, and authorities are yet to conclusively establish how Boro came to be outside the train and died beside the tracks.