Train-top travel claims 15 job aspirants near Lucknow

Train travel turned tragic for thousands of candidates returning from an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) recruitment camp in Bareilly on Tuesday.

At least 15 youngsters were reported killed and over 20 seriously injured when the candidates travelling on the roof of the 2332 Jammu Tawi-Howrah Himgiri Express hit an overbridge outside Roja railway station near Shahjahanpur.

Special DG, UP Police, Brij Lal confirmed 9 deaths so far.
Official sources said over a lakh youngsters from a dozen states had converged at Bareilly for the ITBP examination.

Sources said the toll could be higher. Home minister P Chidambaram has said the state government is solely responsible for ensuring law and order, and security.

The mob also torched several bogies of the train after the mishap. The candidates had started indulging in arson and violence at Bareilly earlier in the day itself when they were told that the examination had been cancelled.

Lal told reporters here that the candidates turned violent and set eight buses, a truck and a police jeep on fire. Several policemen were also hurt in stone-pelting by the protestors, he said.

The state administration and railways blamed each other for the incident. “Over 1.5 lakh candidates were called at one place at the same time. But we were not informed of this huge influx at any stage,” Brij Lal said. A senior railway official said police had been informed well in advance, and that it was his duty to have informed his seniors at Lucknow.