Palghar: Three youths were killed after being run over by a goods train close to Palghar railway station on Friday evening. The tragic incident occurred around 7:20pm, and the Palghar Government Railway Police (GRP) have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in connection with the case. The deceased have been identified as Swapnil Shailesh Palande (23), Kunal Kumar Dubla (23), and Afroz Khalil Sheikh (28), all residents of Virendra Nagar in Palghar East. GRP officials said the the three youths were running on the railway tracks and were struck by a goods train. GRP personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. The bodies were recovered and sent to a government hospital for post-mortem, after which they were handed over to their respective families. The incident has triggered tension in the locality, with relatives and local residents demanding a thorough and impartial investigation. Family members have alleged that the youths were being chased by police personnel in plain clothes, which forced them to run on the railway tracks where they were hit by the train. “Locals said policemen in plainclothes were chasing them. In an attempt to escape, they ran onto the tracks and were run over by the goods train,” said a relative of one of the deceased. Another relative, Darshana, also claimed that the youths were chased by police officers in civil dress shortly before the accident. Senior inspector Sachin Ingavale of the Palghar GRP said the matter is currently under investigation. He added that officials spoke with the loco pilot of the goods train, who stated that the youths were crossing the tracks from the west side to the east when the accident occurred.Police also confirmed that there was no CCTV camera installed near the exact spot where the accident took place. Officials said the goods train was travelling from Mumbai towards Gujarat, while an express train was simultaneously passing on the adjacent track from Gujarat to Mumbai at the time of the incident. All three deceased are said to be engaged in odd jobs.
