A 35-year-old imam from Bihar, who was returning home after attending an Urs in Bareilly, died after being allegedly assaulted by fellow train passengers and thrown off the coach near the Bareilly Cantonment railway station on the night of April 26.
Incident Details
Tausif Raza Mazhari’s wife, Tabassum Khatoon, stated that her husband called her around 10:30 PM on April 26, informing her that fellow passengers were beating him and accusing him of theft. The phone was soon switched off.
The autopsy report, accessed by TOI, mentions five injuries on the face, shoulder, and chest. His skull and all ribs were fractured. The report concluded that the cause of death was haemorrhagic shock and coma.
Initial Police Response
Initially, the police recorded the death as an accident. The imam was identified using his Aadhaar card, and the body was sent for post-mortem.
After an audio recording of the call was widely circulated online, police launched a deeper investigation. In the 32-second audio, Mazhari is heard purportedly saying: “Tabassum, call the cops immediately, these people are thrashing me badly.”
Family's Account
Tabassum said on Friday, “When I told my husband to seek help from other passengers, he replied that no one came forward to help.”
SP (City) Manush Pareek said, “Mazhari was heading from Bareilly to Siwan. On April 27, GRP was informed about the abandoned body. Initially, it was claimed that the man fell from the train. The audio is under scrutiny. We have assured the family that an FIR would be lodged.”
Jurisdiction
Bareilly Junction GRP SHO Sushil Kumar said that Raza was travelling to Siwan on a general ticket. Since the body was found within Bareilly Cantonment police station limits, jurisdiction lies with local police. GRP has no direct involvement; all further investigation will be handled by local authorities.
