The Assam government has sent an inspector general of police-led team to Andhra Pradesh to assist an inquiry into the death of 20-year-old Himashri Boro, whose body was found near railway tracks between Dusi and Ponduru stations on October 7. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state government was coordinating with the Railway Ministry and the Andhra Pradesh government to ensure a fair investigation.
Sarma met Boro’s family at Chapaidang in Guwahati on Monday and said the family and local residents had raised suspicions about the circumstances of her death. He said the Assam Police team had been sent to investigate the matter in coordination with authorities in Andhra Pradesh.
“I came here today to meet the bereaved family of our Himashri Boro. The family and local people have expressed suspicions regarding the incident. We have sent an IGP of Assam Police to investigate the entire matter,” Sarma said.
The chief minister also said he had written to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Andhra Pradesh chief minister seeking an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Boro’s death. In the letter, Sarma requested a “thorough, impartial and time-bound inquiry” covering her boarding of the train, her disappearance and the recovery of her body.
Boro had travelled to Visakhapatnam as part of a dance troupe and was returning to Guwahati. She boarded the Dibrugarh Vivek Express at Visakhapatnam on October 5. According to the report, her family received a message from her the following day in which she expressed fear about the presence of several men around her. She subsequently went missing.
Her bag was later found in the train’s S2 coach. Her body was recovered from a forested area near Malayapuram in Srikakulam district, close to the railway route. The available report does not establish how she died or what occurred between her disappearance and the recovery of her body.
Sarma’s request to the railway and Andhra Pradesh authorities includes an examination of events inside the train and the circumstances in which Boro disappeared. The involvement of authorities from Assam reflects the inter-state nature of the case: the journey began in Andhra Pradesh, the suspected disappearance occurred during rail travel, and the deceased passenger’s family is based in Assam.
The Assam government has said it will continue following up with the Railway Ministry and Andhra Pradesh government. The IGP-led team’s inquiry and the requested time-bound investigation are the next official steps identified in the available account.
