Ludhiana: 4-year-old boy sustains serious head injury in stone pelting on Sutlej Express

A four-year-old boy suffered serious injuries to the head while travelling on Sutlej Express after a stone dashed in from the window of the train and hit him.

The incident happened near Baddowal late on Thursday evening.

According to sources, the boy was returning to his maternal home in Ludhiana from Ganganagar in Rajasthan with his mother, maternal grandfather and uncle.

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“We were coming back to Ludhiana on Sutlej Express. When we reached Baddowal, a stone dashed in from the window and hit my son leaving him drenched in blood,” said his mother.

He was immediately taken to the civil hospital and was then referred to the PGIMER in Chandigarh.

Railway police investigating officer, ASI Satnam Singh, said: “The child has suffered serious injuries and received four to five stitches.”

The police would soon file an FIR.

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The cases of stone pelting started surfacing in April this year across the state.

There has been a steep rise in the cases of stone pelting on trains since July. While the cases included almost all types of trains, most of the cases pertain to Vande Bharat and Shatabdi trains.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has registered 14 cases and made 12 arrests in connection with stone pelting. During the interrogation, the accused had confessed that they derived pleasure by throwing stones at trains like Vande Bharat as they hated the fact that they couldn’t afford to travel on the train.

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“A special team has been formed to curb the issue,” said senior divisional security commissioner Rishi Pandey.

On 18 July, a passenger on the Delhi-Pathankot Express had suffered injuries to his face after he was hit by stones near Doraha railway station. He had also lost a tooth.