In an incident on July 31, a Railway Protection Force (RPF) jawan named Chetan Singh shot dead four individuals. The incident took place on a train near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra. Among the victims was an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and three passengers.
Chetan Singh has been serving with the railway protection force for a few years. His possession of a rifle became evident when the ASI asked Ghanshyam Acharya to hold the rifle temporarily, but Chetan insisted on having it back and took it forcefully after choking Ghanshyam Acharya.
Coming from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, Singh got a transfer to Mumbai from the Bhavnagar division in March. After a recent visit to his hometown, he resumed duty on July 17. However, in the aftermath of the tragic event, authorities apprehended him under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, in addition to relevant provisions from the Indian Weapons Act and Indian Railway Act.
One of the victims, Tika Ram Meena, was from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan and was due for retirement in 2025. He leaves behind his wife, a 25-year-old son, and two daughters aged 18 and 20.
Ghanshyam Acharya, who saw the incident, stated that Chetan Singh was in agitation prior to the shooting and even choked him to retrieve his rifle.
During that ill-fated day, Chetan Singh, aged 33, employed his automatic weapon to fatally shoot RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena (58) and three passengers, namely Abdul Qadirbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala (62), Akhtar Abbas Ali (48), and Sadar Mohammed Hussain (48).
This tragic incident occurred aboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express at around 5 a.m. Chetan Singh was subsequently brought before the court by the Borivali police on Tuesday afternoon.
Advocate Amit Mishra, representing the accused, maintained that Mr. Singh is innocent and did not commit the murders. However, the prosecution argued for 14 days of police custody and stated that Mr. Singh might be mentally unfit. Nevertheless, the magistrate granted the constable seven days in police custody. The court proceedings banned the entry of media.