New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP and Lok Sabha Deputy Leader of Opposition Gaurav Gogoi have sought Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s intervention in the case of Assamese student Himashri Boro, who allegedly faced harassment during a train journey from Andhra Pradesh before her mysterious death.
The 20-year-old was returning alone from Visakhapatnam to Guwahati aboard the Vivek Express when she went missing on 6 October. The week before, on 28 September, the Assam resident had left for Andhra Pradesh to perform with an Assamese dance troupe.
Her body was recovered beside railway tracks in Andhra’s Srikakulam district on 6 October morning. Her call records revealed that around 1.30 am, she called her mother as the presence of “many young men” made her feel uncomfortable, Boro’s mother and uncle told the media in Assam after news of her death reached them.
“Maa, I am scared,” were her last words to her mother in that distress call, as she described the scene of multiple young men trying to approach and heckle her, according to the mother’s statements to the GRP (Government Railway Police) in Guwahati.
Her mother, trying to comfort her, asked her to look for the railway conductor. However, before her daughter could report the harassment, the phone line went dead.
Himashri’s mother panicked and travelled with her other daughter to the Guwahati railway station. Himashri’s bags were found in Coach S2, but there was no trace of the girl.
I urge the Hon’ble Union Railway Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw to intervene in the death of Himashri Boro.
A young woman from Assam was travelling alone from Visakhapatnam to Guwahati on the Vivek Express (22503) when she went missing on October 6. Her body was recovered the next…
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) October 9, 2026
We are deeply saddened by the tragic demise of Himashri Bodo. My heartfelt condolences to her family in this hour of grief.
Today, I have written to Hon'ble Union Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw ji and Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri @ncbn garu, requesting a thorough investigation… pic.twitter.com/ejHiwBuksc
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 9, 2026
According to information shared by the Andhra Pradesh police, the distraught mother approached the GRP (Government Railway Police) or RPF in Assam after losing contact with her, and filed a missing persons complaint. Himashri’s mother has since publicly spoken out, seeking answers and justice.
Investigators checked station CCTV footage showing a man approaching her before boarding, tracked her last phone signals, and searched along the tracks until they found her body near Malayapuram, Andhra Pradesh.
“I urge the Hon’ble Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to intervene in the death of Himashri Boro. Despite government initiatives regarding safety, a young woman who felt unsafe on a train never reached home. She was harassed, and obscene gestures were made towards her. Police suspect she may have fallen from the moving train, while her family alleges foul play,” Gogoi said on X.
Citing 2024 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, which recorded 488 offences against women and children and 1,422 offences against the human body registered by the GRP across India, he called for Vaishnaw to address concerns of Himashri Boro’s kin.
After the Congress MP’s tweet, former All Bodo Students’ Union president Dipen Boro also urged the Railway police and state law authorities in Andhra and Assam to thoroughly investigate the case and ensure justice for Himashri’s family.
The police are looking into the circumstances of her death while trying to ascertain if her death was accidental. According to the latest reports, Boro’s post-mortem examination has been completed, and her body was handed over to the family late Thursday evening, Andhra police told ThePrint.
Sharing details of the case, Sub-Inspector Rajesh of Amadalavalasa Circle—one of the seven assembly constituencies under the Srikakulam Parliamentary seat—said the 20-year-old girl’s body was found by railway line men around 8 am, about a kilometre away from the Penubarthi railway station.
“Himashri’s body was taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) hospital in Srikakulam for a post-mortem, and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) filed a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyay Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) as the cause of death was unknown,” he said.
Subsequently, Srikakulam district Superintendent of Police Maheshwar Reddy visited the hospital the next day, ensured that the post-mortem and other legal formalities were videographed as per legal processes, and contacted the Assam police based on the missing persons complaint filed by Himashri’s mother.
Investigators have also accessed footage that Himashri recorded near her coach’s entrance, and shared with her friend Jyoti. The footage also purportedly shows several young boys near her. Police have also accessed the record of the call she made to the friend at 12.30 am before she contacted her.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)