It was a journey through hell

Prashant Srivastava / TNN / Dec 23, 2005, 01:42 IST

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Almost all the passengers including women and children on board of Pushkar Express had a story of horror to relate.

LUCKNOW: "When they snatched my child and threatened to throw him out of the moving train, for a moment I froze on the spot.
But when I comprehended its full meaning, I began howling and crying and begged for mercy.
My only son was kissing death as half of his body was outside the compartment's door and the remaining was on the outstretched hand of the goon who could have literally flung him outside with a slight movement of the hand.
I threw at them whatever I had. They slapped me and dragged me a little, but in the end Insha Allah they gave me back my son.

I don't have any money to go back home, but yes, I have my child with me," said a visibly shaken Rashida as she stepped on to the platform of the Charbagh Railway station after a nightmarish journey in the ill-fated Pushpak Express.
Almost all the passengers including women and children on board the general compartment of Lucknow bound Pushkar Express had a story of horror to relate.
SP Pandey, who took the train from Bhopal and was sitting next to the 22-year-old woman who was gangraped in the adjoining toilet narrated the horrific details of the incident.

"This young girl, a resident of Fatehganj locality was travelling along with her mother-in-law and another male companion.
The dacoits, who were brandishing guns and knives, dragged her into the toilet shouting loudly that 'her husband had lost a bet and so the girl was now theirs'.
Even as they were engaged in the dastardly act, the young man accompanying her did offer some resistance, but was mercilessly thrashed.
And, once they had given vent to their animal instincts, the goons came out and ordered everybody to part with all their valuables," he said.
Anwar Khan, who was sitting right in the middle of the compartment alleged that the man sitting next to him was wearing the uniform of a GRP personnel.
"This person refused to take any action, when the passengers pleaded him to do something, saying that he was not on duty.
He even failed to provide the passengers with any telephone number for contacting the GRP. Even though we were all assaulted we didn't cave in to their demand," he said.
Ghulam Rasool Khan, Mohammed Shamim and Amiruddin swore that three GRP constables were sitting in the next compartment."
The train was moving at a snail's pace when this incident happened and they were all aware of what we were going through.
Still they didn't respond to their call of duty. Neither did they carry out any security check in our compartment.
We were at the mercy of the Almighty for all of the three hours when this devil dance was going on," they claimed.

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