Two first-year BSc nursing students hailing from Kerala died after allegedly being hit by a Vande Bharat Express train near Chikkabanavara railway station in Bengaluru on Sunday afternoon.
The Government Railway Police, Karnataka, identified the deceased as Sterlin Eliza Shaji, 19, and Justin Joseph, 20, both hailing from Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. They were students of Sapthagiri College and resided in a paying guest facility nearby.
Officers are yet to ascertain whether it was an accident or a bid to die by suicide, and investigators are checking footage from CCTV cameras in the vicinity and collecting other details.
The incident took place around 2.35 pm when the Bengaluru-Belagavi Vande Bharat Express was heading towards Belagavi, officers said, adding that the victims were killed instantly, with their bodies found on the tracks in a severely dismembered state.
Preliminary reports suggest the students were crossing the railway track while returning to their paying guest accommodation when the accident took place. Railway officials confirmed that the train was travelling at a high speed during the incident. It had already left the station and had picked up pace by the time the students were hit.
The Bengaluru Rural Railway Police and Yeshwanthpur Railway Police station have registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) and are investigating the students’ recent activities and background. Railway authorities have also initiated an inquiry.
The bodies have been transferred to MS Ramaiah Hospital, officers said. Their families have arrived in Bengaluru, and further procedures are underway.
