Father forcefully holds 4 sons close till train crushes them
What's the story
In a shocking incident, a man and his four young sons were crushed to death by a train in Faridabad on Tuesday.
The tragedy unfolded around 1:00pm near Ballabgarh station, where the Golden Temple Mail was approaching.
Despite the train's loco pilot continuously blowing the horn, the man did not move from the track and jumped in front of the oncoming train with his children—Pawan (10), Karu (9), Murli (5), and Chotu (3).
Preceding events
Father took kids to railway tracks after fight with wife
Earlier in the day, the man, identified as 45-year-old Manoj Mahato, had a heated argument with his wife, Priya.
He then left their home, saying he was taking their four children to a nearby park.
Instead of going to the park, he took his sons to the railway tracks near the Elson Chowk flyover.
He sat with them under the flyover for nearly an hour and even bought them chips and cold drinks while they waited.
Eyewitness account
Children begged father to let them go
As the Golden Temple Express neared, the children reportedly begged their father to let them go. However, Mahato held them tightly by their arms and did not budge from the track.
The train crushed them around 1:10pm on Tuesday.
After the incident, the loco pilot informed Ballabhgarh station authorities about the tragedy.
A Government Railway Police (GRP) official said they were initially told a woman and her children had jumped in front of the train.
Investigation
Police identify man through Aadhaar card
The police later identified Mahato through his Aadhaar card and found his wife's phone number scribbled on a chit in his pocket. This indicated that his actions were premeditated.
"Mahato suspected that his wife was unfaithful, which could be the reason behind the extreme step," Inspector Rajpal, SHO of GRP, said.
The bodies have been sent for postmortem at Badshah Khan Civil Hospital.
Ongoing probe
What led to this tragic incident?
The police are now trying to understand what led Mahato to take such a drastic step.
While there are reports of marital issues, officials have not confirmed if that was a contributing factor.
A senior police officer said, "We are focusing on understanding his mental state and what circumstances led to this tragic act. Supporting the grieving family is also a priority."
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