Devastated families of victims search for answers

Abdul Kader Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala was returning after observing Muharram in his village; Asgar Ali Abbas Ali Sheikh moved to Mumbai to expand his business

The victims' kin are stunned by the happenings. ASI Meena was months from retirement. His daughter and son-in-law were at the Shatabdi Hospital to claim his body. Victim Asgar Ali Abbas Ali Sheikh was the family's lone breadwinner. His brother sat outside Shatabdi hospital demanding instant compensation and transportation of the body to hometown Jaipur.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Constable Chetan Kumar Singh, 34, who shot dead his senior colleague and three passengers on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express near Palghar railway station on Monday, disrupted the lives of four families, besides his own.

One of the passengers who was shot at, on board Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express

His senior colleague ASI Tikaram Meena was months away from retiring, and known for his work against criminal activities on trains.

Another victim, Abdul Kader Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala, was returning after observing Muharram in his village, while Asgar Ali Abbas Ali Sheikh had moved to Mumbai to expand his business. One of the three passengers who was killed is yet to be identified.

A suspicious message

Bhanpurwala owned a diaper store in Nalasopara. He is survived by his wife and three children. His daughter is married and lives in Ahmedabad, and one son has a job, while the other has a business in Dubai.

As their community's spiritual leader was visiting Dubai, Bhanpurwala's wife had gone there for Muharram. But due to his health, Bhanpurwala could not go, and instead went for Muharram to his native village, Bhanpura.

Bhanpurwala's younger brother Ali Asgar, who resides in Mumbai, learned about the shooting and just the first name Abdul through a community WhatsApp message. To verify the information, Ali Asgar and his family went to Borivli station and found out that it was his brother.

The lone breadwinner

Asgar Ali Abbas Ali Sheikh, the second victim, was a 48-year-old businessman, originally from Madhubani in Bihar. Sheikh was in the bangle business and had previously served as an Imam at a mosque. After experiencing setbacks in Jaipur, he had moved to Mumbai to expand his business further.

His wife and two daughterss, aged 10 years and 18 years, currently reside in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The police notified Sheikh's brother, Amanullah, in Madanpura Dawoodbagh about the tragic incident. He has requested them to shift the body to Jaipur and has sought compensation as Sheikh was the only breadwinner in the family.

‘Sincere and hardworking'

Singh's senior, ASI Meena, 57, was from Shaampariya village which is 25 kms away from Sawai Madhavpur where his wife and son stay. Meena used to live in RPF Quarters in Khar West and was about to retire in nine months. His daughter is married and stays in Kalyan. A nephew of Meena, who also works in the railways, spoke highly of his peaceful nature, stating he never engaged in any fights.

"Many of our family members work for the railways. I got to know about the incident from the railways. After verifying that it was him, I broke the news to his daughter and son-in-law," he said, adding, "Meena's wife is unaware of his demise. Once the body reaches his hometown in Madhavpur she will be informed. His son has been told about it."

According to family members Meena was very sincere and hardworking. Due to his continuous action against criminal activities in the train, he was even attacked by some hooligans.