Seven members of the Uttar Pradesh football team were attacked and wounded by unidentified assailants on board a train in Deoria district on Tuesday, police said.
The incident took place on board the Gwalior-Barauni Express near the Bhatparani railway station in Deoria.
The footballers along with their coach were returning from a state tournament in Samastipur in Bihar.
Seven persons, including Coach Vinay Gopal Srivastava, were injured in the attack. They have been admitted at the Deoria district hospital, a police officer said.
The incident took place after a brawl at the railway station when some local youth tried to gain forceful entry into the coach reserved for the sportsmen.
The youth then pulled the chain and their friends barged into the train compartment. They attacked the footballers with sticks, the officer said.
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The injured include Srivastava and Anshuman Soni who are in serious condition.
Others who sustained injuries are Abhishek Prajapati, Bharti Gupta, Rajeev Sharma and two others.
Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel said a case has been lodged against unidentified persons. They were trying to arrest them, based on the leads given by the footballers.
--IANS
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