Jan Suraaj Party’s social media head found dead near Railway tracks in Ranchi after going missing on train

New Delhi: A Jan Suraaj Party functionary who went missing while travelling from Ranchi to Patna was found dead near railway tracks in Ranchi on Tuesday, police said. Devpalik Gupta, 31, worked as the party’s digital media manager and led its social media team. He had been travelling with colleagues on the Ranchi-Patna Janshatabdi Express when he went missing on Monday afternoon.

Gupta disappeared shortly after the train left Ranchi railway station. His body was later recovered from bushes near the railway tracks in the Angara police station area, close to Barwadag village on the Ranchi-Muri line.

Rural Superintendent of Police Gaurav Goswami told India Today TV that preliminary findings indicated a head injury. He said Gupta might have fallen from the moving train. However, the exact cause of death is yet to be established.

Team IIMCAA deeply mourns the tragic loss of our alumnus Mr. Devpalik Gupta (HJ, Delhi | 2018-19 Batch) under mysterious circumstances in Jharkhand. Mr. Gupta was travelling back to Patna from Ranchi by a train with his two friends. His body, which was located near a railway track, has been identified by his brother.

Team IIMCAA prays for strength to the family and friends to bear the irreparable loss. We urge Jharkhand Police to probe this incident thoroughly and make the investigation report public at the earliest.

— IIMC Alumni Association (@IIMCAA) October 27, 2026

Colleagues search for Gupta on train

According to Gupta’s colleague Gautam Kumar, the group boarded the train at Ranchi railway station at around 2.30 pm on Monday. About 10 minutes after the train departed, Gupta told his companions that he was going to the pantry car to get something to eat.

When he failed to return, his colleagues went looking for him. Kumar said they checked the pantry car and searched every coach but could not find him.

The group raised the matter with the Government Railway Police when the train stopped at Muri Junction. The police subsequently launched a search operation. According to details shared by the party, an FIR was registered at around 9 pm on Monday.

Jan Suraaj demands impartial probe

Gupta, a native of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi. He had been associated with Jan Suraaj’s social media campaigns for the past four years.

The party expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding his death and called for an impartial investigation. It stressed that the cause of death remained unknown and that there was no confirmation of any conspiracy.

Jan Suraaj also appealed to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to appoint a senior officer to oversee the investigation.

Police said the investigation was ongoing and that Gupta’s body would be sent for a post-mortem examination. The findings are expected to help establish the cause of death as investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding his disappearance from the train.