The cries of four young boys echoed across the railway tracks in Faridabad on June 10 afternoon — but their father wouldn’t let go.
In one of the most harrowing scenes witnessed by locals, 45-year-old Manoj Mahato clutched his sons as the Golden Temple Express approached, killing all five instantly.
Mahato, a migrant worker from Bihar, had left his home in a rage after a fight with his wife, Priya. The couple’s relationship had been strained for months, marred by constant suspicion and accusations of infidelity.
That morning, after another explosive argument, Mahato told his wife he was taking the children — Pawan (10), Karu (9), Murli (5), and Chotu (3) — to a nearby park.
Instead, he led them to the railway tracks.
On the way, he bought them chips and soft drinks — an eerily calm gesture before tragedy. Witnesses later told police they saw him walking beside the tracks, two children on his shoulders, the other two clutching his hands. They waited under a flyover for nearly an hour.
When the train arrived around 12:55 PM, Mahato stepped onto the tracks, his grip tightening as the children screamed. Onlookers shouted, some ran — but it was too late.
“The children were pleading, crying,” said one witness. “But the father just held them tighter.”
Despite desperate horn blasts from the train pilot, Mahato didn’t move. The train mowed them down in seconds.
The police recovered a note from Mahato’s pocket with Priya’s phone number scrawled on it. Investigators believe his suspicions of her infidelity pushed him over the edge. “It appears to be a case of extreme emotional disturbance,” said railway police officer Rajpal.
Priya, inconsolable, collapsed upon arriving at the scene.
The city of Faridabad — and the country — is now grappling with the haunting aftermath: a man’s unbearable rage and despair, four innocent lives lost, and the silence left in their wake.
