No official record of train running over Ilavarasan

Railway Police summon driver of Kurla Express

July 06, 2013 01:16 am | Updated November 16, 2021 08:58 pm IST - CHENNAI:

Dalits from far and near, along with general public at Government Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital to pay homage to the body of Dalit youth Ilavarasan on Friday. Photo: N. Bashkaran

Dalits from far and near, along with general public at Government Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital to pay homage to the body of Dalit youth Ilavarasan on Friday. Photo: N. Bashkaran

In a revelation that weakens the suicide theory in the case of E. Ilavarasan of Dharmapuri, who was found dead near the railway track on Thursday, railway officials said there is no record of anyone being run over by any train in Dharmapuri on Thursday.

The driver of the Coimbatore-Mumbai Kurla Express did not inform railway authorities about a run-over in Dharmapuri. In fact, none of the drivers of three trains that passed through the scene noticed Ilavarasan’s body. It was the Key Man or Patrol Man who first saw the body and alerted the station master of Dharmapuri, enquiries by The Hindu have revealed.

In case the train had run over the youth, the Kurla Express driver would have given a written message to the nearest Station Master – Hosur in this case – and the Divisional Headquarters (Bangalore).

Enquiries with the Hosur station and railway officials in Bangalore revealed that there was no such intimation on record.

“After Kurla Express, two more trains passed that way. Had the drivers or guards noticed the body, they would have recorded it and reported it to the nearest Station Master…” Senior Divisional Safety Officer, Bangalore Division, Praveen Pandey told The Hindu .

The drivers of a passenger train and an inter-city express had also not noticed a body along the track. “Normally if he (the driver) hits (anyone), he informs, …in fact, he is supposed to inform anything unusual seen during the trip… that is a standard rule. He has not given any statement…,” Mr. Pandey said.

Asked about the possibility of the train driver not noticing a person committing suicide, a railway official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said such a situation could arise if the incident took place in darkness or when there was a steep curve or inclement weather condition. In the Dharmapuri case, Kurla Express passed the location where the body was found around 12.50 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Railway Police summoned the driver of Kurla Express to appear before the Investigation Officer in Dharmapuri on July 7.

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