SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 13: Panic prevailed among passengers of Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express when a passenger opened fire from his service revolver inside coach B-7 allegedly after an altercation with a coach attendant over a seat on Thursday evening between Dhanbad- Gomoh station under the Dhanbad Rail Division of East Central Railway (ECR) Zone.
No one was injured in the firing incident on the train, an official said.
A Dhanbad Rail Division RPF senior official said that the incident occurred at around 9.45 pm on Thursday. The accused was identified as a retired army personnel of Sikh Regiment Harvinder Singh. He was arrested at Koderma railway station and his licensee pistol was seized.
The official sources said that Harvinder Singh had a ticket for the Howrah–New Delhi Rajdhani Express but mistakenly he boarded in Sealdah–New Delhi Rajdhani Express at Dhanbad railway station.
He had berth no 63 in B-7 coach. As the train opened at Dhanbad station, an altercation began for a seat with the coach attendant, and amidst argument, he fired from his service revolver inside the coach in running train near Tetulmari railway station.
The escort party immediately reached the coach and he was handed over to RPF personnel at Koderma railway station. The Divisional RPF official said that the accused is being interrogated over the incident.
Harvinder Singh is a retired army personnel working as security personnel in an outsourcing company engaged in Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
Harvinder Singh, during interrogation, said that he is a resident of Fatehgarh Churiwala under the Gurudaspur district of Punjab.