A 15-year-old boy who eyewitnesses said was hanging out of a train while returning home from school died after falling from the moving train between Majerhat and Brace Bridge stations on Monday afternoon.
His friend who was with him fell, too, and suffered critical injuries.
“Ashish Singh, 15, a resident of Batanagar, was returning home from school with friend Nikhil Shaw, 16, a resident of Rabindranagar, when the accident happened,” said an officer of Ballygunge government railway police.
“People who took them to hospital said the boys, who were in school uniform, were hanging out of the train when they lost balance and fell,” said an officer of Taratala police station.
The boys were picked up from near the tracks and taken to SSKM Hospital.
A police officer said their school uniforms were drenched in blood.
Ashish was declared dead at the hospital and Nikhil was admitted to SSKM with serious injuries.
“The circumstances under which the boys fell need to be investigated. We are trying to get statements of the witnesses. We are checking whether the accident was an outcome of overcrowding,” said the GRP officer.
