A man of around 35 committed suicide at Girish Park Metro station by grabbing the high-tension third rail on Tuesday morning.

The body was charred so badly that it is almost unrecognisable. Nobody claimed it till late in the evening.

A Tollygunge-bound train was entering the station around 9.11am when the man jumped on the tracks and raced towards the third rail as the passengers on the platform screamed at him to stop.

The man grabbed the third rail and was charred by the time two coaches of the train ran over him. The third rail carries 750 volts of direct current (DC), which can kill instantly.

“He jumped on the tracks very close to the train when it was entering the platform. In such cases, the driver cannot stop in time. Anyway, the death was because of electrocution,” said a senior Metro official.

“The entire body was burnt black. He died instantly, even before the train touched him,” added the official.

An officer of Girish Park police station said: “The body was badly burnt. There was a minor injury on the head, probably caused by the train. A Metro ticket, a wallet with Rs 500 inside and a watch were found on the body. There were no documents to identify the body.”

According to preliminary investigation, the man had bought a single-ride two-zone ticket from Girish Park station around 8.56am.

The Metro services became normal from 10am. Services between Tollygunge and Maidan were not disrupted.

Eight people have tried to commit suicide in Metro stations this year. Of them, three died. Last year, eight people attempted suicide in the Metro stations. Two of them were killed.