Train passenger beaten to death after he asked seat for wife

PUNE: A 26-year old man was on Thursday beaten to death by at least 12 people, including six women, after a huge fight over a seat in the Mumbai-Latur-Bidar Express, police said.

The incident occurred early on Thursday when Kalyan resident Sagar Markand and his wife Jyoti, along with their two-year old daughter, boarded the train at Kalyan late on Wednesday night.

The general compartment was full with no seats, but later Markand requested some women to adjust so his wife carrying their daughter could sit, said Superintendent of Police, Railways, Deepak Satore.

Apparently enraged over the request, the women started abusing him, leading to a huge spat and then at least a dozen others thrashed him, kicking and punching Markand.

Despite Jyoti's pleas to stop, they continued beating him up for almost an hour until the train finally reached from Pune to the next halt at Daund.

At Daund station, the Government Railway Police rushed Markand to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries later.

The Markand family was going to Kurduvadi in Solapur district to attend a relative's funeral.

"We have detained at least six women and three-four men and their interrogation is being done before arresting them," Satore said.