Sonu Sinha alias Arunima Sinha, a 20-year-old State-level athlete, lost a leg when she was reportedly thrown out of a running train. Railway police sources said the tragedy followed an incident of eve-teasing about 15 km from the Bareilly railway station in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.
The girl boarded the train here on Tuesday to go to Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida) for appearing in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) entrance examination.
However, Special DG (Law and Order) Brij Lal told journalists here on Wednesday that Ms. Sinha fell out after she lost her balance and one of her legs got severed when it came under a train passing on the adjacent track. Mr. Lal said the girl was shifted to the Bareilly district hospital by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and she regained consciousness on Wednesday.
According to the police officer, interrogation of the girl revealed that she boarded the general compartment of Padmawat Express at around 12.40 p.m. on Tuesday for Noida, where she was to take the entrance test.
Mr. Lal said the girl told the police that after about a couple of hours when the train was nearing Bareilly a dispute erupted between two persons sitting next to her. Soon the two persons started trading blows.
“In the melee someone tried to snatch the girl's chain, following which she lost her balance and fell from the running train,” Mr. Lal said.
Asked why an attempt was made to snatch the athlete's chain when the two persons were exchanging blows, he said the police version was based on the girl's statement. Ms. Sinha was sitting on a seat near the exit, he added.
Sources in the Railway police said prima facie it appeared to be an incident related to eve-teasing. A case under sections 357 and 307 of IPC was filed.
