Keonjhar: Hundreds of irate residents vandalised Banspani railway station under Joda police limits in Keonjhar district over a youth’s death alleging excess by a Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel late Tuesday night.
The deceased has been identified as Laxman Patra, a local youth. Tension gripped the area as residents of the vicinity near the railway station alleged Patra was beaten to death by the RPF personnel.
Expressing angry over the incident, the villagers entered the railway station premises and ransacked its office building, the waiting hall and even the ticket counter. The raged locals did not even spare Banspani station master. They roughed him up and three more RPF personnel on duty.
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According to sources, a few locals spotted the RPF personnel carrying Laxman Patra from Platform Number 2 of Banspani railway station Tuesday night. They approached the Railway personnel to inquire about the incident and found Patra already dead.
Angry villagers raised suspicion on the way the RPF personnel was carrying Patra and accused him of beating Laxman Patra to death. In a fit of rage, they later stormed into the railway station and thrashed anyone who was spotted near the station.
On being informed, the Joda police reached Banspani railway station and launched a probe into the incident. The injured persons were rushed to a private health facility in Joda.
Conditions of the injured are not out of danger, an official stated.
PNN