Army Jawans kills passengers for seat in Assam

Rangia: Three Army jawans allegedly stabbed two passengers in a train when they protested against defence personnel occupying all seats with their belongings at the Rangia railway station in Assam's Kamrup district Thursday.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) here said they took into custody the three jawans and the Military Commanding Officer from the Army's Red Horns Mountain Division here was interrogating them.

The three accused jawans from the 3rd Sikh LI regiment have been identified as Subedar Balwant Singh and Sepoys Bhupinder Singh and G Singh, GRP sources said.

The jawans had boarded the NJP-Moriani Siphung passenger train at New Jalpaiguri this morning and allegedly occupied all seats of the general compartment by force with their belongings, bags and boxes compelling other passengers to travel standing.

Despite new passengers boarding the train at every station along the route and requesting them to clear the seats, the jawans refused to do so, the sources said.

When the train reached Rangia station and a large number of daily passengers boarded the train here, an altercation ensued when they asked the jawans to take their belongings off the seats, they said.

Suddenly the jawans allegedly took out their knives and stabbed two passengers injuring one of them seriously, the GRP sources said.

The seriously wounded was identified as Kameswar Kalita and has been admitted to the Gauhati Medical College Hospital. The chief of Military Police alleged before the media that trouble began when the passengers beat up the three jawans and snatched away their belongings.

Passengers who commute daily by the train complained that there is no security arrangement on board leading to such incidents at regular intervals.