Maharashtra: RPF jawan shoots dead 4 persons on board Jaipur-Mumbai train, nabbed; motive unclear
A Railway Protection Force constable on Monday shot dead his senior colleague and three passengers in two bogies and a pantry car on board the moving Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra.
He was nabbed later while trying to flee after pulling the chain of the train which stopped between Mira Road and Dahisar stations (on Mumbai suburban network).
Constable Chetan Singh (34) shot dead RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena and another passenger in B5 coach with his automatic weapon. He shot dead another passenger in B6 coach, and one more in the pantry car located between B5 and B6 coaches, a Railway official said.
Earlier in the day, the GRP control room and a senior official had identified the accused as Chetan Kumar Choudhary.
In the afternoon, GRP commissioner Ravindra Shisve told reporters the constable has been identified as Chetan Singh.
The deceased passengers were identified as Abdul Qadirbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala (48), Akhtar Abbas Ali (48), and Sadar Mohammed Hussain.
According to an official, Singh was later nabbed by Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel and his weapon was seized while he was trying to flee when the train stopped between Mira Road and Dahisar stations after passengers pulled the chain.
“The incident occurred after 5 AM after the Mumbai-bound Jaipur Superfast Express crossed Vapi station (in Gujarat). RPF constable Chetan Singh, who was on escort duty, opened fire at his senior Tika Ram Meena and went on shooting dead three more passengers in different bogies of the train,” Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner Ravindra Shisve told media persons.
He said the exact reason behind the incident is not known yet as an investigation is underway.
“Police are enquiring with passengers and RPF personnel, who were part of the escort party, and staffers
of the pantry car,” he said.
Queried on a video purportedly showing the accused constable present near dead bodies and apparently justifying the killings, Shisve said the video clip is being examined along with other materials.
Another senior police official said the accused RPF constable was very short-tempered.
According to GRP, Singh fired 12 rounds from his automatic weapon. The GRP recovered eight bullets from his automatic weapon after the incident.
Singh, who hails from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, is in the custody of the Mira Road railway police, the official said.
The four bodies were taken out of the train at Borivali railway station, he said.
A senior RPF official said ASI Meena hailed from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan. He was supposed to retire in 2025. According to railway officials, the accused constable was transferred to Mumbai from the Bhavnagar division last March and had recently visited his native place Hathras. He joined duty on July 17.
He was arrested under section 302 (Punishment for Murder) of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.
An ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh has been announced for the kin of the deceased ASI Meena, a senior Western Railway official said.
Meena’s kin will be given Rs 15 lakh from the Railway Suraksha Kalyan Nidhi (fund), apart from funeral expenses of Rs 20,000. His kin will also get a sum from the death-cum-retirement gratuity and group insurance scheme, Thakur said.
Asked about compensation for the families of the other three victims of the train firing incident, Thakur said, “Ex-gratia will be given.”
Meena is survived by his wife, a 25-year-old son and two daughters aged 18 and 20 years. His daughter and son-in-law have reached Kandivali-based hospital to claim the body. Singh was staying in barracks here. His family includes his wife, two children aged 6 and 8, and his parents.
