Daijiworld Media Network - Palghar

Palghar, Mar 15: Three youths were killed after being run over by a goods train near Palghar railway station on Friday evening.

The incident occurred around 7.20 pm, following which the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Palghar registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR).

The deceased were identified as Swapnil Shailesh Palande (23), Kunal Kumar Dubla (23) and Afroz Khalil Sheikh (28), all residents of Virendra Nagar in Palghar East.

According to GRP officials, the three youths were running on the railway tracks when they were struck by a goods train. Police personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. The bodies were recovered and sent to a government hospital for post-mortem before being handed over to their families.

The incident triggered tension in the locality, with relatives and residents demanding a thorough and impartial investigation.

Family members alleged that the youths were being chased by police personnel in plain clothes, forcing them to run onto the railway tracks where they were hit by the train.

“Locals said policemen in plain clothes were chasing them. In an attempt to escape, they ran onto the tracks and were run over by the goods train,” a relative of one of the deceased claimed. Another relative, Darshana, also alleged that the youths were chased by police officers shortly before the accident.

Senior inspector Sachin Ingavale said the matter is under investigation. He added that officials spoke with the loco pilot of the goods train, who stated that the youths were crossing the tracks from the west side to the east when the accident occurred.

Police also said there was no CCTV camera installed near the exact spot where the accident took place.

Officials added that the goods train was travelling from Mumbai towards Gujarat, while an express train was simultaneously passing on the adjacent track from Gujarat towards Mumbai at the time of the incident.

All three deceased were reportedly engaged in odd jobs.