Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this in a written reply while responding to questions raised by some members regarding the number of passengers caught without ticket during 2023-24 and other related issues.

Kumar’s friends, who panicked over the sudden attack, tried to catch hold of the assailant, but he managed to escape. Police were on the lookout for the killer.

When the patrolling team was cordoning off the area, a Bastar Fighters jawan inadvertently stepped on the pressure IED, which exploded and left him injured, the senior police official said.