Archive · 25 Aug 2026
Elderly Passenger Bitten by Rat Aboard Superfast Train
A 78-year-old man was sleeping on a train when a rat bit his nose.
His family had already seen the rat and told railway workers.
They also complained that the coach was not clean.
The bite happened on a train traveling from Una to Indore.
After the train arrived, the family took the man to a hospital.
Doctors treated him and gave him a rabies-prevention injection.
Railway officials said they had performed rat control before the train left.
They said the rat might have entered later through an open train door.
A rat reportedly bit 78-year-old retired officer H.K. Karan’s nose while he slept on train 19308.
Karan’s family said they warned railway staff about the rat before the bite occurred.
The incident happened Saturday night while the Una-Indore Superfast train passed through Agra Railway Division.
Doctors at Kokilaben Hospital gave Karan first aid and an initial rabies-prevention injection.
Railway officials said anti-rodent treatment had been conducted before departure and the rat may have entered through an open door.
- Who
- A 78-year-old retired officer, H.K. Karan, traveling with his family.
- What
- A rat reportedly bit Karan’s nose while he was sleeping in a First AC coach.
- When
- Saturday night, at about 10:30 p.m.
- Where
- Train 19308, traveling from Una to Indore; the incident occurred in the Agra Railway Division.
- Why
- The family blamed inadequate cleanliness and the lack of immediate pest control, while railway officials said the rat may have entered through an open door despite prior anti-rodent treatment.
Passenger Family’s Account
Railway’s Explanation
Prior warning and cleanliness
Passenger Family’s Account
The family said they spotted a rat soon after boarding, informed railway staff, and complained about poor cleanliness. They said the area was cleaned but no pest-control action followed.
Railway’s Explanation
Railway officials said rat-control procedures had been carried out before the train departed.
How the rat entered
Passenger Family’s Account
The family’s account emphasizes that railway staff had been warned about the rat before Karan was bitten.
Railway’s Explanation
The railway said the rat might have entered the coach during the journey when a door was left open.
Broader rodent concerns
Passenger Family’s Account
The incident added to the family’s concerns about passenger safety and cleanliness on trains.
Railway’s Explanation
The railway maintained that preventive anti-rodent measures had been conducted, while the article also reported earlier rat-bite incidents at an airport and a government hospital.
- Train
- Train No. 19308, the Una-Indore Superfast train
- Passenger
- H.K. Karan, a 78-year-old retired officer
- Coach
- First AC coach
- Boarding point
- Chandigarh
- Reported time
- Approximately 10:30 p.m. on Saturday
- Medical treatment
- First aid and the first rabies-prevention injection at Kokilaben Hospital
- Railway response
- Officials said anti-rodent treatment had been completed before departure