Guwahati: Assam college student Himashri Boro (20) was found dead near railway tracks in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district on Wednesday.Her family has alleged murder and accused Railway Protection Force (RPF) of negligence.Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said, “The circumstances of the incident are under inquiry. As per preliminary enquiry by GRP, Palasa, it is prima facie suspected that the deceased might have fallen from a running train.”Boro, a resident of Bonda in Kamrup Metropolitan district, had travelled to Visakhapatnam with a dance troupe for a competition. She was returning alone ahead of the others as she had an examination in Guwahati.According to her family, she boarded Train No. 22503 at Visakhapatnam around 12.15 am on Oct 6. A local acquaintance accompanied her to the station. NFR said CCTV footage showed her boarding the S-2 coach with a general ticket and identified the acquaintance as Avinash.“After getting on the train, she called me and another friend of hers, and told us that she was feeling uncomfortable in the coach. There were inebriated men all around, making her feel unsafe,” her sister-in-law said.Boro also shared a video of the coach with a friend. The family lost contact with her between 2.30 am and 3 am and informed the railway helpline. They were told that RPF would check on her.NFR said it received a complaint on the Rail Madad portal about alleged misbehaviour with a woman passenger on the train on Oct 6. An RPF assistant sub-inspector and other personnel attended to it at Srikakulam Road station and searched the general and sleeper coaches but could not trace her.“We never heard back about her being safe. Her body has now been recovered near the railway tracks in Andhra Pradesh. Her two bags have been found intact inside the coach,” the sister-in-law said, demanding a thorough investigation.RPF found the body between the Ponduru and Dusi sections. GRP shifted it to Govt RIMS Hospital, Srikakulam, for an inquest and an autopsy.Authorities are recording statements from passengers and the person who accompanied her to the station. CCTV footage from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam is being examined. RPF and GRP are coordinating with police in Assam and Andhra Pradesh.Dimoria MLA Tapan Das said the state govt would facilitate the return of the body.“An autopsy has to be done there. After that, a flight schedule will have to be worked out as there are no direct flights to Guwahati. We are coordinating and trying to ensure that the body can be brought back at the earliest without any family member having to go to claim it,” he said.
