Six passengers were hospitalised after jumping out of a moving train near Bilpur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, following panic induced by a fire rumour, according to officials from the Government Railway Police (GRP).
The incident occurred in the general coach of the Howrah-Amritsar Mail as it approached Bilpur station under the Moradabad division.
Initial reports from Northern Railway spokesperson Kultar Singh suggested that 12 passengers had been injured, but later it was confirmed that six were admitted to Shahjahanpur Medical College.
The confusion began when someone pulled the emergency chain, halting the train, after a rumour spread that the coach was on fire. This prompted some passengers, including two women, to leap from the train in panic.
The injured were identified as Anwari (26), Akhtari (45), Kuldeep (26), Ruby Lal (50), Shiv Sharan (40), and Chandrapal (35).
Rehan Khan, the GRP station in-charge, noted that it appears a miscreant or unruly passenger might have activated a fire extinguisher, which created the false impression of a fire.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) is currently investigating the incident to determine the cause of the panic.
