Mumbai train firing: His wife used to ask me to deny him leave, says RPF constable’s superior

The statements of the family and friends of killer Railway Police Force (RPF) Constable Chetan Singh reveal a complex character and raise many questions. Chetan Singh, 30, joined the RPF in 2009 at the age of 18 after the sudden demise of his father.

A diehard football fan, he had turned silent after he was transferred to Mumbai by his department. He was also under medication prescribed by a neurologist as an MRI scan had revealed a small lump in his brain. Shockingly, nobody at the barracks he was living in knew about this, including his reporting officer. His wife, though, would keep a check on him.

Singh, the son of an assistant sub-inspector, was the eldest of three siblings. His father died of a heart attack in 2007 at Mau, Uttar Pradesh. He got married in 2012 while he was posted at Ambala, Haryana. After which he was transferred to Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, followed by Gujarat. At Ujjain, his wife gave birth to a boy and a girl, who are nine and seven years old respectively.

Sought transfer to Mathura

According to Singh's mother Rajendradevi, when she went to meet her son in Gujarat in February 2023, he told her that he did not like staying away from his children and said their education was being hampered, which was bothering him. "He told me he had applied for a transfer several times, but the applications hadn't been approved. He also asked me to accompany him to the deputy railway manager's office in Mumbai. When we went to the office, he requested that he be transferred to Mathura, where his wife and kids were staying. Senior officials told him he had to wait until his tenure was completed after which his application would be considered."

The mother and son then headed to Mathura via rail and were sitting in an AC coach. When a ticket checker asked Singh whether he had a duty pass, he answered in the negative and the TC asked them to shift to a sleeper coach. While they were making their way to the coach, a jerk resulted in Rajendradevi hitting her head on the corner of a berth. She immediately started bleeding. Enraged, Singh started arguing with the TC, blaming him for the accident. Finally, Rajendradevi intervened and pacified Singh.

Mother sensed behavioural shift

After the Mumbai visit proved fruitless, Singh requested his mother to accompany him to a Delhi office. Sensing that something was amiss, Rajendradevi alerted her daughter-in-law, Manisha, 35.

According to her, Singh would mumble to himself suddenly and bang his head on the wall. Rajendradevi told Singh's wife to take him to a doctor. Manisha duly informed Singh's uncle and the latter took him to a Mathura-based neurosurgeon on February 13. It was then when the lump was discovered. The doctor told him took take medication for 10 days and later asked to continue the treatment as it had been found effective. Manisha would call Singh and ask whether he was taking his medicines on time, to which he would reply affirmatively. Though Singh wanted to be transferred to Mathura, he was posted in Mumbai in April, which displeased him.

Ravindrakumar Kanwarpal, a 33-year-old RPF constable who was posted at the Lower Parel workshop, said in his statement, "I could sense while talking to him that he was not happy with the transfer and wanted a Mathura posting. Chetan would not speak much but would never argue with anyone or quarrel."

Did wife have her doubts?

The statement of RPF Inspector Harishchandra Ganeshilal, Singh's superior, raises questions. According to him, Singh had applied for five-day leave from July 21 but returned the very next day on July 22. "Chetan's wife would always question me about whether he was on duty or not or whether he was taking leave. She would often tell me I should not grant him leave. From this, I gathered that his wife didn't trust him. But I told her that if he was entitled to leave, I couldn't refuse it," he said.

He also stated, "Chetan didn't have a phone. To contact his family, he would borrow one. After being asked to get a phone, he bought an old one. He also didn't carry cash and his mess bills would be paid by his wife. She was in possession of his ATM card. Chetan served under me from March 2023 till the incident but I never knew that he was unwell or on medication. He had never told me he was unwell or had any medical issues."

Introverted colleague

A constable who lived alongside Singh at the Mahalaxmi barracks said, "Most of the time I would find him sleeping, If I greeted him, he would only reply at times. He would never talk to anyone in the barracks or share anything about his family. He would eat food prepared at the barracks but I never saw him taking any medicines." Most of the occupants of the barracks mentioned in their statements that Singh was introverted, never communicative and would be mostly sleeping.

A football fan

Singh was a football fanatic and represented his school in the sport. He planned to become a professional footballer but had to give up his dream after finishing Std X. However, he did not entirely abandon his passion as he represented the Mumbai Division in the inter-railway football championship at Howrah in November 2022. According to his teammates and manager, he would never play aggressively or be disobedient.

2009
Year Singh joined RPF