01 August,2023 07:51 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah Khan
ASI Tikaram Meena, the accused’s senior colleague, was soon to retire; the fourth victim is yet to be identified
After shooting four people, police said Chetan Singh made a hate-rant. "They were operating from Pakistan...our media is giving them coverage... If you want to stay in Hindustan, vote for Modi, Yogi and Thackeray," Singh is heard saying in a video shot by another passenger. The police, however, are insisting that the accused is mentally unstable.
The police were speechless when reporters questioned them about allotting lethal weapons to such short tempered policemen.
The incident took place after the train crossed Vaitarna Railway station at around 5.25 am on Monday. At Vapi station Constable Singh requested his senior, ASI Tikaram Meena, to let him go home after the train crossed Surat railway station. But ASI Meena refused to let him do so.
The accused constable then fired 12 rounds of his mini AK 47 rifle in the running train from B-5 compartment to the pantry, to S-6 compartment. Police said the constable first killed ASI Meena in the B-5 AC compartment and then the three passengers Asgar Ali Abbas Ali Sheikh, 48, Abdul Kader Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala, 62, and another who remains unidentified, as there were no documents with him and he was lying near the pantry, not on his seat, making it difficult to identify him.
The police said the accused Chetan Kumar Singh was posted at the Lower Parel Railway workshop a week ago and earlier he was in Gujarat RPF division. ASI Meena was posted at the Dadar workshop. Singh is a resident of Hathras. Police said Singh's father was in the RPF and died in 2009 and hence Singh got the job in RPF.
The police told mid-day that the accused constable was always in a hurry to go home before his work hours completed. This is the fourth time Singh had requested the duty officer and TC during the journey to be allowed to go home.
On Monday at around 2.48 am the Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express train reached Surat railway station. Singh started requesting ASI Meena to let him go home as he was not well. Meena asked him to rest for a while. Constable Singh rested in the B-5 compartment and woke up at around 4 am when the train reached Vapi Railway station. He told ASI Meena that he had pain in his back and waist and he wanted to go home. However, ASI Meena didn't let him leave his duty.
A few minutes later Singh received a call from his wife. People who were next to Singh in the compartment heard him tell her that he was unable to come home as he was not getting permission. He then fought with his wife. After that he again requested ASI Meena but he didn't allow him to go off duty.
This request turned into arguments and the three other passengers tried to save ASI Meena. Singh first fired at ASI Meena.
He then chased the other three passengers.
After shooting them, the police said Singh made a hate-rant standing next to their bodies. "They were operating from Pakistan...our media is giving them coverage... If you want to vote, if you want to stay in Hindustan, I say vote for Modi, Yogi and Thackeray," Singh is heard saying this in bogey no S-6, in a video shot by another passenger. The police, however, told mid-day that the accused is mentally unstable and due to this he killed the four people.
Two RPF constables Jayprakash Yadav and Pravin Tamang were in the Jaipur Superfast Express but Singh didn't fire on them. Singh told them not to try and stop him or he would kill them too. The police said as the constables only had lathis they could not do much. When the train reached between Bhayandar and Mira Road stations, a passenger pulled the chain and a message about the firing was sent on the control room of the railway. The Mira Road station master alerted GRP officials but just about 200 metres before Mira Road station Singh jumped off and tried to escape with the gun.
Two GRP Constables, Dilip Pawar and Kiran Gaikwad, saw him quietly walk away with his gun. They followed him and saw he hid himself in the mangroves near the track. The Constables then chased and caught him.
They handed him over to the Borivli Railway police. The Borivli Railway police registered a murder case which will be transferred to Palghar police under Vasai Railway police for further investigation.
"After killing the men, Singh asked the other passengers to switch on their camera phones and record his monologue in the sleeper coach before trying to flee as soon as the train stopped 100 meters after the Mira Road station at 5.40 am, where he was arrested by the RPF and GRP officers," said police sources.
According to Ravindra Shisve, commissioner of GRP, "The train was later taken to the Borivli station where the bodies of the deceased were deboarded and taken to the Shatabdi Hospital for post mortem. The accused was taken to the Borivli GRP where a case of murder was registered against him on Monday evening."
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi labeled the tragedy as a "terror attack targeted at Muslims" in Maharashtra. Owaisi attributed the horrifying act to the spread of Muslim hate speeches and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what he called "unwillingness" to put an end to it.
"This is a terror attack that specifically targeted Muslims. It is the product of continuous anti-Muslim hate speech & unwilingness of @narendramodi to put an end to it. Will the accused #RPFJawan become a future BJP candidate? Will his bail be supported by the govt? Will he be garlanded when released? Happy to be proven wrong," tweeted Owaisi.
12
No. of rounds that Singh fired inside the train
1. Accused Chetan Kumar Singh, a RPF personnel, had a heated argument with his senior RPF ASI Tikaram Meena in the B5 coach
2. Singh pumps four bullets, point blank, into Meena, just below his chest
3. Singh then shoots a passenger (whom the police are yet to identify) in the walkway near the pantry
4 &5. Singh shoots dead Abdul Kader and Asgar Ali in the S6 coach
6.Singh threatens the other RPF personnel trying to stop him, saying
"I don't want to kill you and even if I do, you won't get more than Rs 5 lakh".
7. Singh stands next to the body of one of the deceased and loudly says he has killed a Pakistani.
8. Singh then jumps out of the train
to flee towards Mira Road station.
9. The RPF cops chase and catch him at Mira Road station just before he could board another train to escape.
