RPF constable saves three women, run over by train

NEW DELHI: Three women crossing the railway track near Azadpur could have come under a speeding Kalka Shatabdi Express on Sunday night if an alert RPF constable, Jagbir Singh Rana, hadn’t pushed them off the line at the last moment. Rana himself was, however, hit by the train and died on the spot.
DCP (railways) D K Gupta said that around 9.45pm, Rana (51) was patrolling along the track. Railway Protention Force (RPF) has been deploying its personnel along the tracks in congested areas to prevent snatching and robbery incidents. Cops patrol on foot in their designated areas.

As Rana noticed the women crossing the down line on which the Shatabdi was hurtling at a high speed, he started running towards them while shouting to them. But as the loco pilot was also honking, the women could not hear Rana, said a colleague. The women had probably presumed that the train was on the adjacent track, said a source. Rana managed to catch up and push the women to safety, but the train hit him, eyewitnesses said.

The women alerted the locals and the RPF control room at Azadpur station was informed. A team of Government Railway Police (GRP) and RPF reached the spot and found Rana dead. His body was recovered and sent to the Subzi Mandi mortuary for an autopsy. It was handed over to his family on Monday.

A preliminary probe has revealed that Rana had bled profusely as he might have fallen on one side of the track and his head had hit the line.

Rana, whose family lives at Qutabgarh in Haryana, was posted with the Delhi unit of RPF for the past five years. He is survived by his widow and two children.

The police said a probe under Section 174 of CrPC had been initiated to establish the cause of the accident. The loco pilot will also be questioned to establish the sequence of events.

The police are looking for the women to record their statements. A case may also be registered against them if they were found to be trespassing on railway properties.