New Delhi: The death of a 30-year-old cleric from Bihar, whose body was found on railway tracks in Bareilly last week, has taken a new turn after his family claimed he was harassed inside a train. Police said they have reopened the investigation.
The deceased, Maulana Tauseef Raza from Kishanganj district, worked as an imam at a mosque in Siwan. Police said his family is expected to reach Bareilly on Sunday to file a formal complaint.
Family alleges assault inside train
Raza’s uncle Rizwan Alam said the family suspects foul play. “We suspect he was assaulted inside the train and then thrown from it,” he alleged.
According to the family, they have an audio clip in which Raza is heard telling his wife that some people were harassing him inside the train and that he had informed the police.
In a video that circulated on social media, his wife Tabassum said her husband called her and claimed some people had caught him and were assaulting him. She said she asked him to seek help from passengers, but he told her they were accusing him of being a thief.
Police reopen probe
Bareilly Superintendent of Police Manush Pareek said the case is under fresh review. He said that when the body was handed over after post-mortem, the family had not raised suspicion and had agreed with the initial finding of an accidental fall.
“We are in contact with the deceased’s family and will take appropriate action in the matter soon,” he said.
Body found near tracks
Police said they received information on April 27 about a body lying near the railway tracks close to Palpur Fatak under the Cantonment police station area. Documents recovered from the body, including an Aadhaar card, helped establish his identity.
The post-mortem report showed a head injury. Police earlier suspected that the injury may have been caused when he hit a pole after falling from a moving train.
Family to submit recordings
Speaking to The Indian Express, Alam said Raza had travelled to Bareilly to attend an Urs festival. He boarded a special train for Siwan on April 26.
Alam claimed Raza was speaking to his wife when a man started misbehaving with him. He said the family has a 36-second audio recording and a video call of over two minutes related to the incident.
He added that the family did not initially inform police as they were in shock. They later checked Raza’s phone after returning to Bihar and found the recordings.
Police said further action will depend on the complaint and verification of the evidence.