Assam student who reported feeling unsafe on train found dead in Andhra Pradesh

A 20-year-old student from Assam, Himashri Boro, was found dead near a railway track in Tekkali in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district, days after she went missing while travelling aboard the Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express. 

Her death has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, with her family alleging foul play and demanding a thorough investigation.

Himashri, a student of B Borooah College in Guwahati, had travelled to Andhra Pradesh with a dance troupe to participate in cultural programmes. According to her family, she was scheduled to return to Guwahati on October 5 to appear for an examination on October 10. After missing her scheduled train, she boarded the Vivek Express from Visakhapatnam on October 6 to travel home alone.

During the journey, Himashri allegedly contacted her friends and family members, saying she felt unsafe in a coach occupied by a group of men. Her family said she also shared a video of the crowded compartment with a friend and spoke about being uncomfortable with the behaviour of some passengers.

According to her family, Himashri made a distress call to a friend between 2.30 am and 2.40 am, saying that some men were bullying and misbehaving with her. The friend subsequently contacted the Railway police control room and other helplines, the family alleged. Boro's phone became unreachable soon afterwards.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) launched a search after a missing person complaint was filed. Railway police later recovered her luggage from the train's S2 coach. Her belongings, including bags, clothes and documents, were found when the train reached Guwahati, according to her family.

Her body was subsequently recovered from a wooded area near the railway tracks in Tekkali, Srikakulam district, on October 7. The railway authorities said a preliminary inquiry suggested that she might have fallen from the moving train. The exact circumstances of her death remain unclear, and the family is awaiting the post-mortem report.

Both the GRP in Palasa and the RPF in Srikakulam have registered separate cases in connection with the incident.

Himashri's family has alleged negligence on the part of the railway authorities, asking why she could not be traced despite the reported distress calls. Her mother has also expressed suspicion that her daughter may have been murdered and appealed to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to ensure a thorough investigation.

"We think it must have been a planned murder. A few men overpowered her. I request the Chief Minister to inquire into how she was killed. She died a very harsh death. She was found lying in a jungle," her mother said.

The family has also raised concerns about the circumstances in which Himashri travelled to Andhra Pradesh. According to her relatives, she had gone with a group of eight people for a two-month assignment involving dance performances. Payments for three events were reportedly pending from the organisers.

Her relatives have expressed suspicion about the dance troupe and its management. Her sister-in-law alleged that the group's manager was from Andhra Pradesh and that the troupe had brought dancers from Guwahati to perform at events in the state. Himashri was also reportedly in contact with a woman identified as Sumitra Devi, who had taken the group to Andhra Pradesh.

Dr Tapan Das, MLA from the Dimoria Assembly constituency, where Himashri’s family lives, told The Indian Express that a dispute had reportedly broken out between the troupe and the organisers of a dance programme in Visakhapatnam over pending payments.

The railway authorities have collected CCTV footage and other video recordings as part of the investigation. However, the sequence of events leading to Himashri’s disappearance and death has not yet been established.

Meanwhile, students of B Borooah College staged a protest in Guwahati on October 8, demanding justice for Himashri. Members of the college's students' union and other students called for a comprehensive investigation and urged the police and railway authorities to identify and take action against those responsible for her death.