A probe into the death of a Delhi Metro security guard, Pankaj Dhama, who was killed in a scuffle while deboarding the Yoga Express at Shahdara Railway Station, has widened with the detention of eight suspects. The investigation has been sparked by a viral video that raises questions over the handling of the incident. Dhama, a 35-year-old resident of Khekra in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat, was on his way to his village when the incident took place.
He had boarded the Yoga Express at Old Delhi and was standing at the door of the coach at a halt in Shahdara, allegedly obstructing passengers’ way. This led to an argument and soon escalated into a physical assault with fists and kicks. A 52-second video purported to have captured the incident shows chaos on the platform and a policeman attempting to intervene in the scuffle.
Dhama is later seen lying on the ground surrounded by a crowd. The footage has sparked questions over the lack of immediate first aid or CPR. The police have registered an FIR and detained eight suspects from Muzaffarnagar Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh, who are being brought to Delhi for questioning.
Three aspects are now being probed: the exact number of people involved in the assault, whether adequate security arrangements were in place at the station, and whether Dhama received timely medical assistance. CCTV footage from the station is being analysed to establish the exact sequence of events. Dhama’s family has alleged negligence and demanded a fair investigation.
A medico-legal case was registered under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). According to the police, an ambulance was called within five minutes after the injured person’s condition deteriorated, but by then his family had taken him to hospital in an e-rickshaw.
