‘Was sole breadwinner’: Man beaten to death by fellow train passengers in Delhi, 8 held

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 21, 2026 10:04 AM IST

Police have detained eight suspects in connection with the incident. (Representational image)

Pankaj Dhama, 35, who worked as a security guard at the IP Extension Metro Station, was on Saturday headed home in Khekda village of Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat from Delhi, according to police. He was ready to board the Yoga Express at Shahdara railway station in East Delhi when some fellow passengers allegedly attacked him — they were angry over him “blocking the entrance to a coach”, according to police.

A group of passengers allegedly punched and kicked several times. Officers said personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) immediately intervened and rescued the injured man before shifting him to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Police have detained eight suspects in connection with the incident. “Eight suspected passengers travelling on the Yoga Express were detained by the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Muzaffarnagar Railway Station. They are being brought to Delhi for further questioning, while their identities and specific roles in the assault are being verified. A case has been registered under Sections 105 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station ODRS on Saturday.Further investigation is underway to ascertain the individual culpability of each suspect,” said DCP (Railways) Bharat Reddy.

Dhama was the sole breadwinner of his family and is survived by his wife, a six-year-old son and a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. His brother, Vijender Dhama, said the family was informed about the incident by their elder brother. “He was the only earning member of the family. We came to know about the incident through our elder brother,” he said.

Vijender also alleged that railway police personnel present at the station did not come to his brother’s rescue after the assault. “He was lying on the platform, but no one helped him. Two of his colleagues wrapped him in a bedsheet and rushed him to the hospital,” he alleged.

Responding to the incident, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, said, “According to the information received so far, a tragic death occurred at Delhi’s Shahdara Railway Station following a dispute between two passengers. At the time of the incident, a GRP constable separated the two sides. The injured person, who had become unconscious, was immediately taken to the nearest hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The accused have been taken into custody, and legal proceedings are underway.”

The investigation into the circumstances leading to the death is ongoing, said officers.