Jan Suraaj Party’s digital communications manager found dead near railway tracks in Ranchi

Devpalik Gupta, a 31-year-old digital communications manager with the Jan Suraaj Party, was found dead near railway tracks in Ranchi on Tuesday, a day after he went missing while travelling on the Ranchi-Patna Janshatabdi Express with two friends.

Gupta’s body was found near the tracks between Ranchi and Muri Junction, according to senior superintendent of police (Ranchi) Rakesh Ranjan. It was subsequently sent to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death.

Preliminary findings cited in reports suggest that Gupta may have accidentally fallen from the moving train. However, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death remain under investigation.

Colleague recounts moments before disappearance

Gupta was travelling to Patna with his friends and colleagues on Monday afternoon when he reportedly left his berth to visit the pantry car and did not return.

Gautam Kumar, a colleague and friend, said they boarded the train at Ranchi railway station, and it departed at around 2.25 pm. About 10 minutes into the journey, Gupta told his companions that he was going to the pantry car to get something to eat.

“We then left our berth and went to the pantry car next to our coach, but we did not find him. We checked every coach, but he was nowhere on the train,” Kumar told news agency PTI.

When the train stopped at Muri Junction, the first station after Ranchi, Gupta’s companions lodged a complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP), prompting a search operation.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) Inspector Sanjeev Singh said investigators were examining CCTV footage from Muri Junction. He added that preliminary checks indicated Gupta had not got off the train at the station and that his mobile phone was switched off.

A joint team of local police and RPF personnel was involved in the search. Gupta’s body was later discovered near the railway line in the Ranchi-Muri section.

IIMC alumni association mourns death

Gupta was an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in Delhi and belonged to the institute’s 2018-19 journalism batch. He worked as the digital communications manager for the Jan Suraaj Party, founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor.

The IIMC Alumni Association expressed grief over his death in a post on X, saying Gupta had been travelling from Ranchi to Patna with two friends when he went missing. His brother subsequently identified the body found near the railway tracks.

Police have initiated an investigation to determine the exact circumstances of Gupta’s death. The post-mortem examination is expected to help establish the cause, while further details are awaited.