A Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable on Monday shot dead a colleague and three passengers onboard a Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express (12956) train near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra. The accused constable tried to escape by jumping off the train near Dahisar station but he was caught by Government Railway Police and RPF officials on Mira Road in suburban Mumbai.
The incident raised alarm bells across the Western Railway line and caused panic among other passengers.
As per a statement by the RPF, the incident was reported at 5.23 am. A police team has been sent to Mumbai Central station, the train's final destination, to inspect the bogey of Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express in which a Railway Protection Force (RPF) jawan allegedly opened fire killing four people earlier today.
Here’s what happened on Jaipur-Mumbai Express:
The Firing
The RPF constable, Chetan Kumar Choudhary, reportedly had an argument with his escort duty in-charge assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Tika Ram Meena on the B5 coach of the train from Jaipur to Mumbai. He shot his colleague Tika Ram and went to another bogie where he held three passengers at gunpoint before shooting them dead.
Choudhary, who hails from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, used his official automatic weapon for committing the crime.
The Fleeing
Following the firing, he pulled the alarm chain and jumped off the train near Dahisar Station in suburban Mumbai to flee the scene. He was nabbed and taken to Mira Road police station. The constable has been arrested after he surrendered to firing the gunshots. His weapon has been seized by the police.
The train was held up at Borivali station, where the bodies were taken out, for about an hour from 6.21 am to 7.15 am, before it left from there and reached Mumbai Central Station at 8.07 am, about 1.12 hours late, as per the train's running status.
Why Did Constable Shoot?
The reason behind killing his senior colleague and the other passengers is not clear yet. While initial reports hinted at an argument, some reports also said that he was a short-tempered person.
Meanwhile, Western Railway Police Commissioner denied reports of any kind of argument while speaking to media persons and said, “He (RPF constable Chetan Kumar) was not feeling well. He lost his cool and shot at whoever he saw in front of him.”
A case of murder has been lodged under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code while an investigation is underway regarding the dispute between the RPF personnel and the subsequent series of events that led to the killings.
An ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh will be given to the kin of deceased ASI Meena from the Railway Suraksha Kalyan Nidhi (fund), apart from funeral expenses of Rs 20,000, WR spokesperson Sumit Thakur told PTI. His kin will get a sum of Rs 15 lakhs from the death-cum-retirement gratuity and Rs 65,000 as group insurance scheme.
