Victim professor had planned dinner on wife’s birthday; accused held in 12 hrs

Mumbai: Alok Kumar Singh, a Mumbai college professor who was allegedly stabbed to death by a commuter following an argument over alighting from a local train at Malad station, had planned dinner with his wife to celebrate her birthday, police said on Sunday.

Amid widespread outrage, the Government Railway Police arrested the 27-year-old accused, a metal polishing labourer, within 12 hours of the crime, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He was remanded in police custody for five days.

According to the Borivali GRP, Omkar Shinde was apprehended from the Kurar area of the western suburb for the murder that took place on Saturday evening.

A minor argument between Singh (33), a professor who worked with NM College in Vile Parle, and Shinde, while they were alighting from a local train, escalated into a brutal attack, the official said

Police said Singh left the college shortly after working hours on Saturday. He told his colleagues that he was heading out for dinner, police said, adding that Singh was travelling towards Kandivali when the incident occurred around 5:40 pm.

According to police, Singh’s father, Anil Kumar Singh, is part of the security detail of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The senior Singh was in Delhi for Republic Day parade preparations when he was informed about his son’s death, a police official said.

Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Anil Kumar Singh had worked in various parts of the country as part of the Defence Minister’s security cover, the official added.