Speeding train crushes 3 boys

They had gone to bring hay for X-mas

Brothers Jose (11) and John Peter (14) and Sanjay Kumar (12), all residents of CSI Christian Line at Kammagondanahalli, died when the Bangalore-Shimoga inter-city Express hit them around 4:40 pm.

Their relatives alleged that the accident occurred due to the speeding train’s “sudden emergence from the nearby blind curve, which has no signal.”

“It is nearly impossible for anyone crossing the track to notice the fast-approaching train as it emerges all of a sudden from the curve at a high speed,” a grieving Stephen, uncle of Jose and John Peter, told Deccan Herald.

"Similar accidents have taken place earlier too on this track. Since it is a blind turn, trains should slow down. Also, a signal should be installed to warn those crossing the track. They should also construct a compound around the track for avoiding such accidents in future," demanded Joseph, another uncle of the deceased brothers.

Jose and John Peter were sons of Stanley, a painter, and Rebecca.

“All the three were good friends. Jose was in the seventh standard at Fathima School, Kammagondanahallli and John was  a ninth standard student of Jindal School, Abbigere,” Lama, a relative of the deceased brothers said.

The family was planning a fiesta on Friday and the boys were gung-ho about it but the accident has turned the excitement into grief, he added.

The third victim Sanjay Kumar, a sixth standard student of Seventh Day Adventist School, Kammagondanahalli, was the only son of Nava Kumar, also a painter and Mageshwari.The entire locality is populated by poor daily-wagers.  

A passionate dancer

According to Lama, Jose was a passionate dancer and an active participant in church activities. "He was a very jovial and fun-loving child. He used to take part keenly in dance and drama programmes during Christmas," he added.

The brothers shared a good rapport with each other. All the three would play cricket and badminton, he said.

The bodies were handed over to the relatives around 10 pm. Yeshwanthpur Railway Police have registered a case of unnatural deaths.