A 42-year-old passenger travelling on the Kolkata-Jammu Tawi Express was shot dead by an unidentified assailant inside the train’s S-2 coach in the early hours of Monday, police said.
The deceased was identified as Dinesh Shah, a resident of the Barchaki area in Pipariya in Bihar’s Gaya district. He was travelling to Naimisharanya Dham in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district on board train number 13151, police said.
According to officials, Shah was travelling in the S-2 coach, while his sister, her two children and her mother-in-law were travelling in the general compartment of the same train.
Police said the incident took place around 1.40am, shortly after the train crossed Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Junction.
Just before the train reached Block Hut-B, near the restroom area of the coach, an unidentified person allegedly shot Shah. Passengers who heard the gunshot alerted the train staff, triggering panic inside the coach.
The train reached Varanasi Junction at around 2.42am, where Shah’s body was taken off the train. His family members were subsequently informed about the incident.
After legal formalities were completed at Varanasi Junction, the body was sent to the mortuary for post-mortem examination.
Superintendent of police, Government Railway Police (GRP), Prashant Verma, Circle Officer Kunwar Prabhat Singh and Railway Protection Force assistant security commissioner BP Singh reached the GRP police station following the incident.
Police teams conducted inquiries at the station, while another team continued with the train to gather further details related to the shooting. A police officer said an old rivalry could be one of the possible motives behind the killing.
