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If you ever get into the sort of scuffle that killed UP migrant Dharamdev Rai (25) on a train beyond Kalyan, chances are, there may be no cop around to protect you. Rai, who was on his way to his village, reportedly died after six men beat him up, following an argument over a window seat in the CST-bound local on Tuesday.
Six arrested
But Government Railway Police (GRP) Additional DGP K P Raghuvanshi said yesterday that Rai's murder was a spur of the moment act and not a hate crime. "The six accused have been remanded to police custody till November 3," he added. The six accused are Vikas Dattu Waghmare (26), Manoj Ramdas Palande (30), Avinash Narhari Thombre (24), Ajay Dilip Hadap (18), Sanjay Hadap (18) and Ketan Kashinath Hadap (23).
Earlier, GRP Commissioner A K Sharma had said the accused had asked the victim and his friends, where they were from before the fight began.
Safety concerns
The incident has raised questions about public safety at stations beyond Kalyan.
Sangram Kadam (29), of Badlapur, said the stationmaster warned him to be cautious when he found himself at Shelu railway station at 1.30 am. "He asked me to use the tracks to go to other platforms, as there were chances of getting mugged on the bridge."
B S Meena, stationmaster, Khopoli, admitted that there aren't enough cops between Khopoli and Karjat. "There is just one GRP cop posted at Khopoli. For any complaint between Khopoli and Karjat a distance of 15 km or from Badlapur to Karjat a distance of 32 km one has to go to Karjat railway police station," he said.
Inputs by Sanjeev Devasia | 
