Rajasthan mayor alleges assault on train; cops say family doesn't want probe

Pratapgarh mayor Kamlesh Doshi has alleged he was beaten up, drugged and robbed on the train

Mayor of Pratapgarh Municipal Corporation, Rajasthan, Kamlesh Doshi has alleged a brutal attack by four to five unidentified men onboard the Madurai Express as soon as the train left LTT in the wee hours of May 20.

Currently undergoing treatment in a hospital in Rajasthan, Kamlesh has alleged that he was beaten up, drugged and robbed for two days on the train, and that he managed to escape when the train reached Madurai station.

Family members and senior Rajasthan government officials are said to have met CM Devendra Fadnavis, seeking an investigation. However, when asked about the progress in the probe, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti said, "The family has requested us not to probe the matter. I have to check if there is any fresh request."

Assault on train
Explaining what happened, his younger brother Ankit said, "He had some work in South Mumbai and checked into Empire Hotel on May 17, just opposite DB Marg police station."

On the evening of May 19, Doshi checked out and went to a restaurant near Haji Ali, from where he took a cab to LTT. "He boarded the Madurai Express at 12.15 am on May 20," said an officer from the DB Marg police station, where Kamlesh's other brother Sharad lodged a missing complaint.

Ankit added, "He was headed to Burhanpur and had planned to get down at Bhusawal junction to change trains. But we completely lost contact with him after he boarded from LTT. Not just the family, the administration of Pratapgarh was worried."

Traced to Madurai
Even as the cops groped in the dark for two days, they got a call from Sharad saying Kamlesh had been located in Madurai. "A family member went there and brought him back. He was in immense pain and had injuries on the head and neck," said Ankit.

"He was in an AC Tier II coach. As soon as the ticket checker left, four to five people manhandled him and, before he could understand anything, drugged him. He was assaulted and kept unconscious for two days; they took away Rs 1.5 lakh cash, a gold bracelet worth R4.5 lakh and a gold chain from him. He managed to escape at Madurai."

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