Kerala train fire: Suspect held for questioning in UP’s Bulandshahr, released

MEERUT The UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) held a man from Syana area of Bulandshahr district for questioning on Monday night in connection with a fire incident on a train in Kerala that claimed lives of three persons, including an infant. He was released later, said officials.

The incident happened on the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train on Sunday night. Around 9.45pm, when the train crossed Kozhikode city, an unidentified man poured an inflammable liquid on a co-passenger and set him on fire resulting in burn injuries to at least eight people. The three persons, including a one-year-old child and a woman, were missing from the train after the incident, said a police official from Kozhikode district. They were found dead on the tracks near Elathur railway station late that night.

On a tip-off, the ATS held the man named Shahrukh for questioning in Bulandshahr. The suspect’s father, Yameen, claimed his son was innocent and detained mistakenly for questioning by the UP ATS.

The ATS had not issued any statement related to the detention and questioning of Shahrukh or any other person in connection with the Kerala incident.

Interacting with media persons, Yameen stated that his son didn’t go to Kerala and was with him for the past two months. “Shahrukh is a carpenter and I came to know from locals that the ATS has detained my son,” he said.

“I also came to know that he has been released after questioning,” said Yameen, who stays with his family in Akbarabad locality of Syana town in Bulandshahr.

Senior police officials of Bulandshahr, including senior superintendent of police, could not be contacted for their version.

ASP, UP STF, Brijesh Singh stated that the STF had not arrested any such person and the ATS might have held him for questioning.