Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma And Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi Seek Probe Into Guwahati Student’s Death In Andhra
Assam leaders urged a time-bound investigation into the death of student Himashri Boro, whose body was found near railway tracks in Andhra Pradesh after she went missing during a train journey.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Friday sought a thorough investigation into the death of a 20-year-old Guwahati woman whose body was recovered near railway tracks in Andhra Pradesh.
Himashri Boro, a student of B. Borooah College and a resident of Bonda in Kamrup district, had travelled to Visakhapatnam as part of a dance troupe. She boarded the Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express (Train No. 22503) alone from Visakhapatnam station around 12.15 am on October 6 to return home ahead of an examination.
Family members said that she called a friend and relatives shortly after boarding, expressing fear and discomfort over the presence of allegedly inebriated and unruly men in her coach (S2). She reported feeling unsafe and being harassed, after which her phone became unreachable. Her bag and belongings were later found in the coach, but she was missing.
Her body was recovered the next day near the railway tracks in a forested area in Srikakulam district (near Tekkali/Malayapuram). The family has alleged foul play and possible murder, while preliminary findings by the South Coast Railway and Government Railway Police suggested she might have fallen from the moving train. Cases have been registered, and a post-mortem has been conducted.
Mr Sarma expressed grief and extended condolences to the family. In a social media post, he said that he had written to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, urging a thorough, impartial and time-bound probe. He also deputed a senior Assam Police officer to Andhra Pradesh to coordinate with local agencies. “The safety of the people of Assam, wherever they may be, remains our highest priority,” the chief minister said.
Mr Gogoi, in a separate social media post, urged the Railway Minister to intervene. Citing family and media reports, he noted that Boro “felt unsafe because of the men in the compartment,” faced harassment and obscene gestures. “Police suspected that she may have fallen from the moving train, while her family alleged foul play,” he said, highlighting concerns over women’s safety on Indian Railways and referring to NCRB data on offences against women registered by the Government Railway Police.
Students of B. Borooah College had earlier staged a protest in Guwahati demanding justice and a proper investigation. The body is expected to be brought to Assam. The exact circumstances of the death remain under investigation.