Agra (UP), Aug 20: Two passengers died and six fell sick on board the Patna-Kota Express train on Sunday, officials said. It was not immediately known what led to the deaths.
They were part of a group of 90 passengers from Raipur in Chhattisgarh. Five of the six people who feel sick were undergoing treatment at a railway hospital in Agra while the sixth was admitted to the S N Medical College.
North Central Railway PRO in Agra Division Prashasti Srivastava told PTI, "A call was received on the railway helpline number about the passengers...falling sick. They were travelling in an AC coach. A woman aged about 62 years and a man aged nearly 65 were declared dead by the doctor at the Agra Cantt Railway Station. Five passengers from the same group are being treated at (hospitals)."
She said the cause of death was not known yet.
Asked if it was a case of food poisoning or dehydration, she said, "It will be known after the postmortem."
On whether they were given poison-laced sweets by a criminal gang known as "zeher khurani", she said there was no such complaint.
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Mumbai (PTI): Special NIA court judge AK Lahoti, conducting trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has been posted to Nashik in the annual general transfer of district judges, days before the court was likely to reserve the matter for judgement.
The transfer order, for Lahoti and other judges issued by the registrar general of the Bombay High Court, will come into effect when the courts re-open after summer vacation on June 9.
The order has mentioned that the judicial officers who are under order of transfer are "directed (a) to finish by judgments all cases in which hearing has already been concluded and (b) should endeavour to dispose of all part-heard cases before handing over charge."
In the last hearing on Saturday, judge Lahoti directed the prosecution and defence to wrap up the remaining arguments by April 15 and was expected to reserve the matter for judgement the following day, a defence lawyer said.
Six persons were killed and more than 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off on September 29, 2008 near a mosque in Malegaon, a town located about 200 km from Mumbai in north Maharashtra's Nashik district.
BJP leader Pragya Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and five others are being tried for their alleged involvement in the case.
The accused are facing prosecution under provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case was initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before being transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011.