Last month, the court ordered that the accused be referred to the Thane mental hospital for a medical examination. The direction came after Akola prison authority, where the accused is lodged, informed that he was suffering from a disorder and needs to be shifted to a hospital for treatment
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A former railway security officer told a court in Mumbai on Tuesday that he had never received any information regarding the health condition of former RPF constable Chetansinh Chaudhary, who has been charged with shooting dead four people on a moving train, prior to the day of the incident.
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The shooting occurred on July 31, 2023, aboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra.
According to news agency PTI, the officer, who was stationed at Mumbai Central railway station in 2023 and responsible for the deployment of escort staff, also told the court that just an hour before the incident, Chaudhary had informed him that he suffered from a hydrocele and was unable to move.
The defence, meanwhile, has claimed that the accused was suffering from a mental illness.
PTI reported that the former Assistant Security Commissioner (Railways) testified as a witness before Additional Sessions Judge (Dindoshi Court), NL More, in the case, where Chaudhary is accused of shooting dead his senior colleague, Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena, along with three passengers aboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express near Palghar railway station on July 31, 2023. Chaudhary was apprehended near the tracks shortly thereafter and has been in custody ever since.
The officer told the court that he had deployed Chaudhary and Meena, along with other staff, aboard the Jaipur Express from Surat. Around 4.10 am on the day of the incident, Meena, who was in charge of the escort team, called to inform him that Chaudhary had said he was not well and did not want to perform his duties.
Mumbai-Jaipur train firing case: Accused had been taken to hospital for medical examination, says prosecution
The officer instructed Meena to relieve Chaudhary from duty if possible, after consulting the local staff, and to allow him to disembark at Vapi, PTI reported.
However, Meena informed the officer that this was not feasible as the train was already departing Vapi station, the assistant security commissioner stated.
The officer then spoke directly to Chaudhary, who mentioned his hydrocele issue and said he was unable to move. A few minutes later, he spoke to Amay Acharya, another member of the escort team, and told him to remove Chaudhary from duty, take his arms, and have him rest.
However, the officer later received a call from Acharya, informing him that Chaudhary had forcibly taken his rifle from him. The officer then alerted the relevant department.
The officer said he was informed about the firing incident at around 5.30 am.
When questioned by defence lawyer Jaywant Patil, the former assistant security commissioner said that he had never received any prior information about Chaudhary’s "health or misbehaviour" before the day of the incident.
Last month, the court ordered that the accused be referred to Thane Mental Hospital for a medical examination. This decision came after authorities at Akola prison, where Chaudhary is being held, reported that he was suffering from a mental disorder and needed to be transferred to a hospital in Nagpur for further treatment. However, for the convenience of the trial, the court directed that he be sent to Thane hospital and moved to Thane jail during his medical evaluation.
Meanwhile, the prosecution informed the court that Chaudhary had been taken to the hospital for a medical examination on Tuesday.
Chaudhary faces charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including section 302 (murder), section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.), and other relevant provisions of the Railways Act and the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act in the Mumbai-Jaipur train firing incident.
After the shooting, Chaudhary was apprehended with his weapon while trying to flee after passengers pulled the chain, bringing the train to a halt near Mira Road station (on the Mumbai suburban network). He had shot dead RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena and another passenger in the B5 coach with his automatic weapon. He then went on to kill another passenger in the pantry car and another in the S6 coach next to it after 5 am.
(With PTI inputs)
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