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What’s the Story?
In what can be termed as a shocking and appalling incident, several sportspersons from Uttar Pradesh were injured critically by unidentified assailants on board Gwalior-Barunai Express, while it was passing through Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.
In Case You Didn’t Know
A full-fledged football team and 22 other athletes from different disciplines were returning home after participating in a three-day inter-state tournament organised in Samastipur district of Bihar. Apart from the football team, other players had also gone to participate in the tournament. The incident occurred near the Bhatparani railway station in Deoria.
The Heart of the Matter
Things went haywire as the train slowed down on progressing towards the Bhatparani station and some youths tried to enter the reserved coach in which these sportspersons were travelling, but were not allowed to do so.
In the midst of the scuffle, one of the several assailants managed to enter the rain and pulled the chain, and called his aides, who barged into the compartment with rods and sticks and heavily injured the athletes.
In total, six players, along with football coach, Vinay Gopal Srivastava were seriously injured and admitted to Deoria district hospital.
What Next?
While the athletes recuperate in the hospital, Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel confirmed that a case was lodged against unidentified goons and a hunt was on to nab them on the basis of the leads given by the players.
Author’s Take:
These kind of stories really dampens a day, and as it stands, the guilty party is most likely to walk scot-free. Also the fact that there was no RPF personnel guarding the reserved compartment, doesn’t hold Indian Railways in good stead.
All these athletes have to suffer without any fault of their own, and this should be a wake-up call for the Ministry of Railways to rethink their strategy towards passenger safety.
