Train firing: RPF constable had short fuse; not upset over transfer to Mumbai, say officials

Jul 23, 2023

RPF constable Chetan Singh, who shot dead his senior colleague and three passengers on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express on Monday, had temper issues and he was indisposed on the day of the incident, a senior Railway official claimed.

Railway officials refuted reports that Singh was upset over his transfer to Mumbai from Bhavnagar. Singh, 34, shot dead Railway Protection Force (RPF) Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena and three passengers in two coaches and a pantry car with his automatic weapon near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra after 5 Am, as per initial investigation.

He was nabbed with his weapon after 6 am near Mira Road station (Mumbai suburban network) while trying to flee after passengers pulled the chain of the train.

''He (constable Singh) was not upset. He was a bit unwell....later he lost his cool,'' Pravin Chandra Sinha, principal chief security Commissioner, of Western Railway, told reporters while speaking about the firing incident.

''He had a short fuse and lost his temper leading to the incident,'' Sinha said when asked whether Singh was mentally unstable. As per the investigation, Singh first shot dead his senior Tika Ram Meena and later turned his gun on anyone he saw, which resulted in three more fatalities.

As per Railway and RPF officers, Singh was carrying an AK 47 rifle and a magazine with 20 rounds. He fired 12 rounds, and the rest 8 bullets were seized with the weapon.

Singh joined the RPF in 2009 on compassionate grounds after the death of his father. He was transferred to Mumbai from Bhavnagar in Gujarat last March, another railway official said. Railway officials refuted reports that Singh was upset over his transfer to Mumbai.

''For transfer out of Bhavnagar, Singh had given the choice of Mumbai or Ahmedabad divisions, and was accordingly transferred to Mumbai,'' they said. Singh hails from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh. His family members include his wife and two minor children.

An official said Singh had gone on leave to his native place earlier this month. He resumed duty on July 17. While the Government Railway Police (GRP) has set up an SIT to probe the incident, the RPF is also trying to understand the motive behind the killings.

A senior RPF official said its constables undergo a health check-up every five years, but no record is available to show whether Singh had undergone a health check-up in the last two years or not.

Meanwhile, some video clips shot by passengers in one of the two coaches of the train have gone viral in which Singh is seen standing next to a body holding his rifle and saying something. Passengers from both ends of the bogie are seen recording Singh on their mobile phones.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)