A 19-year-old engineering student of Manipal Institute of Technology, who was walking on railway tracks with earphones plugged in, died after being hit by a moving train. The incident happened near his college in Yelahanka around 7.45 pm Saturday, February 2, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
The youth, a first-year BTech student, was a college hostel inmate. Byappanahalli Railway Police registered a case of unnatural death and are investigating.
The victim, Shiva Surya, a resident of Kothanur near Yelahanka, was staying in hostel Block 1 on the college premises. The incident happened between 7.45 pm and 7.50 pm. The spot where the incident happened is two km from Yelahanka Railway Station, towards Devanahalli.
The student died on the spot with the earphones still plugged in. He is said to have called his friends and told them he would be returning to the hostel within a few minutes. The police also found an iPod with him. Railway police suspect he must have been either listening to music or talking to somebody on his mobile.
SP, Railways, Bengaluru, Dr KS Sowmya Latha told TNIE that the student was found dead with earphones plugged in. "He may not have heard the train due to the earphones. After noticing the train at close range, he moved, but was still hit by the side of the train. He was found dead on the spot," the SP added. The student was hit by a train coming from the Devanahalli direction.
Surya suffered severe internal head injuries, and the left side of his skull is said to have been completely damaged. The body was handed over to his parents after postmortem at a hospital on Old Madras Road.
"As per college rules, hostellers must return by 9.30 pm. If the student is not found, the authority will call the student to enquire. If the student does not reply, his parents are called. When the call was made to the student, railway police answered and informed the hostel authorities about the unfortunate death," said an officer on the investigation team.
