Trigger Warning: Disturbing Visuals
The Uttar Pradesh Government Railway Police (GRP) has arrested a Moradabad man named Pankaj Rajput for allegedly pushing a Muslim cleric off a moving train near Bareilly in April, solving a case that was initially treated as an accidental death before an audio recording and a subsequent investigation pointed to murder.
The deceased, Maulana Tausif Raza Mazhari, 35, a madrasa teacher from Bihar’s Kishanganj district, was found dead on railway tracks near the Palpur railway crossing in the Bareilly Cantt police station area on the morning of April 27, 2026. Police identified him through a mobile phone and Aadhaar card recovered near the body.
Tausif Raza, a resident of Bakhotoli village under Pathmari police station in Kishanganj, had travelled to Bareilly to attend Urs-e-Tajushsharia. On April 26, he boarded the 04314 Yoganagari Rishikesh-Muzaffarpur Special train to return home.
Initially, Bareilly police considered the death an accident. “Based on the circumstances at the scene, the inspection of the body, and the evidence collected, it appears prima facie that the deceased was sitting at the train door due to the intense heat, lost his balance after falling asleep, and fell off. He died from severe head, leg, waist, and face injuries. No evidence of any altercation, assault, or pushing of the deceased has been found at the scene or from any other source. A search of the deceased revealed his mobile phone, PAN card, ATM card, and other belongings intact. No criminal conspiracy or attack has been confirmed in the case. No allegations have been made by the family against anyone.”
#UPPolice pic.twitter.com/TPfSZu2L1M
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) April 30, 2026
Audio Recording Raises Questions Over Accident Theory
However, the Maulana’s wife, Tabassum Khatoon, told the media that she had received a call from her husband around 10:30 pm on April 26, in which he sounded very scared. Maulana had told his wife that some drunk men on the train were beating him up, accusing him of theft. An audio recording of a phone call also went viral on social media, in which the Maulana was heard pleading for help. In the recording, he says, “Hello Tabassum, a drunk man on the train has caught hold of me and is abusing me and beating me. Call the police…” Along with this, he is also heard pleading for help from people.
After the audio recording went viral on social media, several leaders and organizations, including Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad, and Kishanganj MP Mohammad Javed, demanded a high-level investigation into the matter. On April 30, Bareilly SP City, Manush Pareek, stated in a media statement that the deceased’s family suspected he was assaulted on the train. Police spoke with the family and assured them of action upon receiving a written complaint. On May 4, the Maulana’s wife, Tabassum Khatoon, arrived in Bareilly and filed a murder case against unknown individuals.
दिनांक 27.04.26 को थाना कैंट बरेली क्षेत्र में रेलवे ट्रैक पर शव मिलने की सूचना पर की गयी पुलिस कार्यवाही व परिजनों से वार्ता कर तहरीर प्राप्त किये जाने के उपरांत आवश्यक कार्यवाही करने हेतु अवगत कराये जाने के संबंध में श्री मानुष पारीक, एसपी सिटी, बरेली की बाइट।#UPPolice pic.twitter.com/kXx39c3OPJ
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) April 30, 2026
Following the filing of the report, the GRP launched a thorough investigation. A four-member team was formed under the leadership of GRP SHO Sushil Kumar Verma. Ashutosh Shukla, SP of the Moradabad GRP section, also visited the scene with his team and inspected the site. On SP Shukla’s instructions, the police began examining CCTV footage from Bareilly Junction.
What Happened on the Train?
Alt News spoke with GRP SHO Sushil Kumar Verma, who led the investigation. He provided us with detailed information about the case. He explained that on April 26, the deceased, Maulana Tausif Raza, boarded the Yoga Nagari Express at around 9 pm after attending Urs in Bareilly. He held a general class ticket but had boarded a sleeper coach.
“A young man named Pankaj Rajput, a resident of Mughalpura in Moradabad, was also traveling in the same coach on his way to Bareilly to attend a wedding ceremony. He was heavily intoxicated, causing him to completely miss his stop at Bareilly station. As the train moved past Bareilly, the young man accused Maulana Tausif Raza of stealing his mobile phone,” Verma said.
It was found in the investigation that based on his suspicion, the young man started an argument with the Maulana and assaulted him.
“People tried to reason with him and intervene. To avoid the altercation, the Maulana started moving towards the front coaches, but the drunken man did not stop following him. He followed the Maulana from coach number 10 to coach number 9, from coach number 9 to coach number 8, and then, when the Maulana started moving from coach number 8 to coach number 7, the young man stopped the Maulana, and a heated argument ensued. During the scuffle, the drunken man pushed the Maulana out of the moving train, resulting in his death,” the officer told Alt News.
He added that immediately after the Maulana was pushed, other passengers on the train, including several boys going for a Home Guard exam, caught hold of the accused and severely beat him up. To avoid the passengers’ anger and questioning, the accused threw his mobile phone and wallet out of the moving train. To mislead the passengers, he identified himself as a Muslim, even though he had previously shouted “Jai Shri Ram,” causing confusion among the passengers.
When the train reached Shahjahanpur station, passengers tried to get him off to hand him over to the GRP, but the train departed. Fearing they would miss their train, passengers boarded the compartments again, and the accused took advantage of the chaos to flee from Shahjahanpur station.
“At the time of the incident, the Maulana had made a phone call to his wife, in which an audio recording was recorded, claiming that a drunk man was assaulting and harassing them. The Maulana also asked his wife to seek police help. Based on this audio, it became clear that this was not an accident but a murder, after which a murder case was registered on May 4,” Verma said, adding, “Solving this case posed a significant challenge for the police because the accused had discarded his mobile phone along the way, there were no CCTV cameras on the Shahjahanpur platform, and the police had no one to describe the accused, identify him, or provide a photograph.”
How Police Cracked the Case
While investigating the case, SHO Verma and his team, with the help of informants and the surveillance cell, gathered information about how many passengers boarded the train, where, and where they disembarked. Surveillance was used to obtain mobile data dumps along the entire route from Bareilly and Moradabad to Shahjahanpur and Sitapur. Police specifically began tracing passengers who disembarked in Shahjahanpur.
During the technical investigation, data was collected from all mobile numbers that were active up to Shahjahanpur but suddenly shut down afterward or whose location did not change. The police team retrieved the phone numbers of all these individuals and contacted them. Police also questioned local residents to uncover clues related to the case. However, the investigation team failed to obtain any significant information from these individuals.
“We then wrote to the Railways, requesting a list of passengers from coaches 8, 9, and 10, along with their mobile numbers. We contacted approximately 200 to 250 passengers over phone. During interrogation, a passenger sent a small video of the incident. Subsequently, another passenger provided a clearer video showing the accused being beaten after the Maulana was pushed. The accused’s face was clearly visible in this video.
Following the facial identification, police, using surveillance and informants, scanned CCTV footage from all railway stations where the accused could have boarded the train. With the help of surveillance, the police matched the accused’s description to Moradabad station. Based on the informant’s information, the main accused, Pankaj Rajput, a resident of Mughalpura, Moradabad, was arrested near Bareilly railway station,” Verma said.
The police also recovered the mobile phone the accused had thrown on the road. A passerby found it and handed it over to the accused’s brother. During interrogation, the accused narrated the entire incident and confessed to his crime. After completing all legal procedures, the police sent the accused to jail.
Attempts to Mislead the Investigation
During the police investigation, two instances of misdirection were uncovered. Despite such a heinous incident, a passenger named Abhishek Pandey, a resident of Muzaffarpur, who was traveling on the train at the time, attempted to mislead the police investigation by falsely claiming that the Maulana had jumped from the moving train.
On the other hand, it has also come to light that the accused had given his name as ‘Rehman’ instead of ‘Pankaj’ to mislead the GRP. The investigation also revealed that during the altercation with the Maulana on the train, the accused had identified himself as “Rehman,” a claim confirmed by questioning other passengers traveling in the same coach.
Speaking about the case, SHO Sushil Kumar Verma stated that teamwork enabled them to solve the case. The police faced significant non-cooperation during the investigation. Most passengers denied any knowledge of the incident, while many mistook the police inquiries for a scam or fraud and abused the officers. Despite these numerous obstacles, the police team persisted with the investigation and apprehended the accused.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Abhishek Kumar.
Abhishek Kumar | Radio Free (2026-06-15T13:03:32+00:00) GRP arrests man for pushing Muslim cleric off moving train, solves Bareilly death case. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/06/15/grp-arrests-man-for-pushing-muslim-cleric-off-moving-train-solves-bareilly-death-case/
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