A 47-year-old CISF jawan deployed on a coal transportation route was killed after being run over by a coal-laden goods train in Sahibganj district early Thursday, police said. The incident occurred on the Farakka-Lalmatia merry-go-round (MGR) railway line while the personnel was carrying out duty linked to coal security operations for NTPC Farakka.
Sahibganj superintendent of police Amit Kumar Singh identified the deceased as Ashok Kumar Ghadei, a resident of Arvind Nagar in Brahmapur city of Odisha’s Ganjam district. According to the police, Ghadei was travelling on a coal-laden train moving from Lalmatia towards NTPC Farakka when he got down during routine patrolling.
The police said Ghadei had reportedly alighted to attend to a vacuum-related issue. He then came under the wheels of the train and sustained critical injuries. The exact sequence of events remains under investigation, and the authorities have not released further details about how the accident occurred.
Ghadei was taken to the Barharwa community health centre after the incident. Doctors declared him brought dead, police said. His body was subsequently sent to Rajmahal sub-divisional hospital for a post-mortem examination.
The Farakka-Lalmatia MGR line is used to transport coal to NTPC Farakka. Unlike passenger railway services, merry-go-round systems are dedicated freight operations that support the movement of coal between mining and power-generation facilities. The route connects the industrial logistics chain around Lalmatia with the Farakka power plant.
CISF personnel are deployed on coal-laden freight trains operating on the MGR route to prevent theft during transportation. Their presence places security staff on moving or operational freight assets, where routine inspections and responses to equipment-related issues can involve significant physical risks.
The death therefore occurred within a freight movement system that combines coal handling, railway operations, industrial security and power generation. The police investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the reported vacuum-related problem, Ghadei’s movement from the train and the train’s operation at the time of the incident.
The case remains under investigation, with the post-mortem examination and police inquiry forming the next official steps in determining the exact cause and sequence of the fatal accident.
