Holi powder kills one on Mumbai train

Mumbai: One commuter was killed and five others injured after they fell down from the footboard of a running suburban train, when some miscreants threw a chemical-laced Holi powder at them, police said Tuesday.

The incident took place around 8 p.m. Monday night when the victims were travelling on the footboard of a crowded Dadar-Thane local train. "The powder caused severe injuries and a burning sensation in the eyes of the commuters and they lost their grip and balance and fell out of the running train," the official said. Some miscreants threw a yellow powder at them from a local train speeding in the opposite direction, an official of Kurla Railway Police said. G. Nityanand Ganpati, a 26-year-old resident of Chembur, died from the fall, while at least five others were injured, including two who are reported to be serious. The Government Railway Police (GRP) have collected samples of the yellow powder and sent these for chemical analysis to determine its contents. The police are also probing whether the powder could have been thrown from a bridge running above the railway lines in the vicinity. The shocking incident took place barely hours after Mumbai police and the railways issued separate appeals to people to celebrate a safe Holi without troubling others. IANS