Beaten on train, French national dies in Haryana

Chandigarh, May 3 (IANS) A French national, who was brutally beaten by fellow passengers on board the Sachkhand Express train in Haryana's Karnal town, succumbed to his injuries in a hospital here, police said Thursday.

The victim, Frank Wilfred, 23, was rushed to Chandigarh's Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) from a hospital in Karnal town, 120 km from here, as his condition was critical.

Police officials here said that Frank died due to head and other internal injuries late Wednesday night at PGIMER.

The victim was allegedly beaten up and looted in the moving train, and later dumped by the passengers at the Karnal railway station platform Sunday.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel found him unconscious and bleeding on the platform and rushed him to a hospital in Karnal.

Seeing his critical condition, the doctors at Karnal had referred him to PGIMER.

The GRP had later arrested train ticket examiner (TTE) Manoj Kumar for failing to report the matter.

Doctors at PGIMER said Frank remained in coma for the last three days before succumbing to his injuries Wednesday.

Railway Police Inspector General (IG) V. Kamaraja said the GRP were investigating the incident.

The police recovered the victim's belongings from the TTE's possession.

During his interrogation by the police, the TTE had claimed he had not seen the French national on board the train.

However, the documents and belongings of Frank found from the TTE's possession have belied the claim, a police official said.

The police have now converted the case from attempt to murder to that of murder.

The Sachkhand Express runs between Nanded (Maharashtra) and Amritsar in Punjab.