Infant dies ‘due to heat’ in train, passengers create ruckus

A five-month-old infant died in a sleeper coach in Dibrugarh-New Delhi Brahmaputra Mail allegedly due to excessive heat on Friday.

According to reports, the train had halted on the outers of Allahabad junction for an extended period, following which the condition of the already ill child deteriorated. Passengers created a ruckus at the junction alleging negligence by railway officials.

The train was over nine hours late before it reached Mirzapur station. The train again halted on the outers of Allahabad Junction for around one and half hours.It is alleged that the condition of five-month-old daughter of one Mohammad, a resident of Kaimur (Bhabua) district of Bihar, travelling in S-8 coach deteriorated. Railway officials claimed that doctors at the railway hospital were sent to the coach when the train arrived at the junction but the family had left for Dufferin where the doctors declared the child dead on arrival. The family then left for Mughalsarai by road.

Officials claimed that the Railways reacted as soon as they came to know of the child's illness.

“The child was in a non-AC coach, so there was no issue of cooling/AC failure. Train was not 'detained' on 'outers' as is being alleged. The entire route was affected by bunching caused due to heavy storm last night,” railway officials added.

Passengers, however, created ruckus over child's death and non-functioning of air condition in B-1 coach of AC3. The train left the junction after the repair of AC at around 9.50 am.