Hari Kailasam Karwad became the second person to die in a stone-throwing incident in the past five years when he was hit by a stone near Daund while travelling on the Nagercoil Express at around 8.15 pm on Wednesday.

Hari had boarded the train from Mumbai at around 12.15 on Wednesday afternoon along with his mother Madapi Kailasam, elder brother Kandasami and a neighbour Santhanam, to go to his village Sanavpatti in Tirunalveli district in Tamil Nadu. Eight hours later, they were having dinner just as the train left Daund railway station.

As the train sped past the fertile plains two kilometres away, a stone suddenly hurtled through the window of the second class compartment near which Hari sat and hit him behind his right ear. According to police, the area where the incident took place was an uninhabited one.Hari fell down under the impact of thehit, which opened a gash behind his ear. He soon lapsed into unconsciousness even as the train pulled into the nearby Jinti Road railway station. The doctor at the station administered first aid to the boy and then declared that the injury suffered by the boy was too complicated for him.

The boy was immediately taken to Kurdwadi where he was admitted to Madhavi Hospital, a private nursing home, in a serious condition. By 9.15 pm, he was declared dead. Apparently, the stone had cut open a nerve on his head leading to his death. Hari was the second son of Mandapi, who makes and sells idlis in Mumbai, and used to stay at Antop Hill.

According to K Ramachandran, Superintendent of Police (Railways), the family of the child have been given Rs 15,000 as compensation. A separate compartment is likely to be attached to today's Nagercoil Express for transporting Hari Karwad's body to his village. A case has been registered with the Kurdwadi railway police station regarding the incident.

However, a similar caseregistered with the railway police regarding the death of Tanveer Lagoo, son of actor Dr Shreeram Lagoo, five years ago under similar circumstances has been closed from active investigation for lack of evidence.Tanveer was travelling on the Pragati Express to Pune from Mumbai along with a cousin on July 10, 1994, when he was hit behind his left ear near Karjat. He died under medical treatment in Pune the same day.