TIRUCHY: A railway gatekeeper at Kumbakonam died after a speedy train hit him while he attempted to rescue an elderly person who was unmindfully walking along the railway track without noticing the train approaching in the wee hours of Thursday (August 13).
The deceased, identified as Rahul (30), was a resident of Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh and was working as a gatekeeper at the Gopurajapuram railway level crossing near Kumbakonam. He was residing at a house in Papanasam.
On Wednesday late at night, Rahul, who was on duty, closed the gate for the Nagercoil-Tambaram Antyodaya Superfast Express train.
Suddenly, Rahul noticed an elderly person around 60 years old trying to cross the track without noticing the approaching train.
Without any thought, Rahul ran to rescue the old man, but unfortunately they both lost their balance and fell on the track.
The train ran over them, and they both died. The body parts were strewn all along the tracks.
On sensing the incident, the loco pilot alerted the nearest railway station, and the Kumbakonam railway police rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies.
The police are attempting to identify the body of the elderly person. The train services were affected for more than 25 minutes on the route.
The police said that Rahul got married six months ago and returned two weeks ago after visiting his wife in Uttar Pradesh.
It may be noted that on July 6, Sandeep Sahar, a railway gatekeeper on duty at Arasoor Railway gate in Mayiladuthurai, rescued a boozy pedestrian who tried to cross the railway track without noticing the Mayiladuthurai-Villupuram passenger train.
The pedestrian had a narrow escape thanks to the timely rescue by Sandeep Sahar, and the CCTV footage went viral in the region.