GRP arrests man in cleric train death; wife asks, ‘What was his fault?’

Meerut: Govt Railway Police (GRP) arrested 25-year-old Pankaj Rajput in connection with the death of Imam Tausif Raza Mazhari, 35, of Bihar, who was allegedly assaulted and pushed out of Yog Nagari Rishikesh Express after being falsely accused of stealing a mobile phone. Police said Rajput, who had boarded the train at Moradabad on April 26 and was allegedly drunk, made communal remarks against the cleric during an argument in a crowded coach before the confrontation turned fatal.Police said Rajput was travelling to Bareilly for a wedding function and was to get down there, but an altercation broke out before the train reached the station. During interrogation, he allegedly told investigators that he had consumed alcohol in Moradabad and continued drinking during the journey, leaving him heavily intoxicated. Investigators said he accused Tausif of stealing a mobile phone, assaulted him and pushed him out of the moving train.GRP teams examined coaches 8, 9 and 10 during the probe, contacted nearly 200 passengers through PNR details taken from railway reservation records, analysed around 200 CCTV clips and examined videos recorded by passengers. Police said the evidence helped identify Rajput and establish the sequence of events inside the coach.Passengers allegedly caught Rajput immediately after the incident and thrashed him inside the train. Some videos showed him being beaten with belts, while another clip showed him identifying himself as “Ahmed”, which investigators believe was an attempt to hide his identity. Police said he later threw away his mobile phone and wallet while fleeing so that he could not be tracked easily.GRP SHO Sushil Kumar said Rajput got off the train near Shahjahanpur after it slowed down and remained on the run. “Since he had thrown away his phone, tracking him became difficult. We examined CCTV footage from railway stations and locations between Amroha and Lucknow before identifying him and arresting him from Mughalpura area of Moradabad on Sunday night,” Kumar said.On Monday, police shared details of the investigation with Tausif’s wife, Tabassum, and other family members. During the interaction, Tabassum confronted Rajput and asked, “What was my husband’s fault?” Police said Rajput remained silent.Kumar said the investigation was in its final stages and a chargesheet would be filed soon. “We have collected substantial evidence in the case and will seek the strictest possible punishment for the accused,” he said, adding that Rajput was produced before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody.Tabassum, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the probe and maintained that her husband was innocent and may have been targeted by more than one person. She had earlier alleged that he was attacked because of his religious identity, including his beard and skullcap, after he called her from the train saying he was being assaulted and asked her to seek police help at the next station.Police said all aspects of the case were still being examined and action would be taken if anyone else was found involved. The case, initially treated as an accident, was converted into a murder probe after the family’s complaint, the audio/video material and witness inputs were examined.