Jaipur-Mumbai train firing: ‘RPF constable’s mental health yet to be examined’

RPF constable Chetan Kumar Singh

A court on Tuesday remanded Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetan Singh in the custody of Government Railway Police till August 7 for allegedly shooting dead his senior colleague and three passengers on a moving train. Seeking his custody, the police told the court that the mental health test of the accused constable was yet to be conducted and that he had not been cooperating with them.

A senior police officer had earlier said that the 33-year-old accused was very short-tempered. Singh was produced before a magistrate court amid tight security around 1.30 pm. As they took Singh to the local court in Borivli from the police station, GRP officials used T-shirts and shirts to cover the windows of their vehicle to shield him from the media glare.

The magistrate barred the media in the courtroom citing security reasons. Lawyers, not associated with the case, were also not allowed to attend the proceedings. The GRP sought Singh's custody for 14 days, saying the matter was serious in nature. The investigating officer said that the medical examination of the accused remains to be conducted.

The incident took place on a moving train and the sequence of events is yet to be investigated and more evidence is to be collected, the police told the court. The police told the court that the accused was not cooperating with the investigation and giving misleading answers and that a thorough investigation was required to find out the reason behind the act.

The police said Singh shot dead his senior colleague while being on escort duty on the train and there was a need to find out whether there was any dispute between the two during work hours on the day of the incident. It is yet to be investigated whether Singh committed the said crime at the behest of anyone, the police said. After hearing the arguments, the court remanded the accused in the custody of GRP till August 7. The Railway Board has set up a five-member committee to probe the incident, according to officials.

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