Constable Chetan Kumar Singh shot dead his superior and three Muslim passengers on board a Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express on 31 July. He is currently lodged in Thane Central Prison after being remanded into 14 days' judicial custody on 11 August.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — The Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable, Chetan Kumar Singh, accused of shooting dead his superior and three Muslim passengers on board a Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express on 31 July, has been suspended from service.
A Railways official said Singh was involved in at least three discipline-related incidents in the past. The Indian Railways issued an order notifying his suspension on August 14, reports reaching here said on Thursday.
The sack order was issued by RPF senior divisional security commissioner, the official said.
The constable is currently lodged in Thane Central Prison after being remanded into 14 days of judicial custody on 11 August. In addition to charges of murder, wrongful restraint and kidnapping, the police have charged him under Section 153A of the IPC related to hate speech.
Chetan Singh 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 Muslim passengers at gunpoint before shooting them dead.
Following investigations, the constable is alleged to have threatened a burqa-clad woman passenger and forced her to say “Jai Mata Di” at gunpoint, the Indian Express reported. The woman has been identified as a key witness in the case. When she said “Jai Mata Di”, the constable allegedly told her to say it louder, the report said.
Earlier, a purported video also emerged wherein the accused was seen speaking to passengers while standing over one of the victims’ body. He allegedly said, “Pakistan se operate hue hain, tumhari media, yahi media coverage dikha rahi hai hai, pata chal raha hai unko, sab pata chal raha hai, inke aaqa hai wahan… Agar vote dena hai, agar Hindustan me rehna hai, toh mai kehta hoon, Modi aur Yogi, ye do hain, aur aapke Thackeray,” according to media reports.
(‘They operate from Pakistan, this is what the media of the country is showing, they have found out, they know everything, their leaders are there… If you want to vote, if you want to live in India, then I say, Modi and Yogi, these are the two, and your Thackeray’)
While the video has been removed from social media, based on these clips, and accounts of passengers on the train, the accused has also been booked under IPC Section 153A — related to hate speech.
The three slain passengers, Abdul Kadar Mohamed Hussain Bhanpurawala, Sayyad Saifuddin and Asgar Abbas Shaikh, were travelling in different bogies of the train.
Singh first shot dead ASI Meena and a passenger in B5 coach with his automatic service weapon. He then gunned down another passenger in the pantry car of the train and one more traveller in the S6 coach.
As per the official, Singh was part of the force’s dog squad in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain in 2017 when he once brought a Muslim man to the RPF post and harassed him for no reason.
Superiors ordered an inquiry against him over the harassment and action was taken against him as per disciplinary rules, he said.
During his posting in Gujarat, Singh assaulted a colleague on one occasion. In another incident, he withdrew money using a co-worker’s ATM card, the official said.
