The Tamil Nadu Railway Police, on Monday, August 28, 2023 have arrested five persons from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the fire that broke out in a coach and claimed nine lives near the Madurai railway junction on Saturday.
The accused were identified as G. Sathyaprakash Rastogi, 47, R. Narendrakumar, 61, M. Hardik Sahani, 24, J. Deepak, 23, and C. Subham Kashyap, 19, from Sitapur district.
“All of them were support staff of the tour operator. Two members of the team, Harish Kumar Bashim and Ankul Kashyap, were killed in the fire,” said the Deputy Superintendent of Police (TRP, Madurai), K. Ponnusamy.
The arrested persons have been accused of having carried inflammable articles on the train, in violation of Section 164 of the Railway Act.
Besides, they have been booked under Section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder (act done with knowledge that it is likely to cause death, but without intention to cause death) and Section 285 of the IPC for negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter.
The DSP said the support staff had carried inflammable articles, including two gas cylinders, which were used for cooking.
“The rubber pipe of the cylinder had developed a leak, and they attempted to plug it. However, when they tried to light the gas stove inside the coach, the gas that had already leaked spread within seconds,” he said.
Besides, a fresh cylinder kept in the coach exploded due to increased atmospheric pressure, he added.
All the accused were produced before a Judicial Magistrate Court and remanded in judicial custody till September 11.
