Passengers recall killings in Jaipur-Mumbai train

The statements of the majority of passengers have been recorded by the Borivali Government Railway Police, as they probe the killings.

RPF constable Chetan Singh, who allegedly shot dead ASI Tikaram Meena and three passengers aboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express in the early hours of July 31, got into a fight with ASI Meena over his request for an early release from duty due to his health. Meena was heard yelling at Singh, reports The Indian Express.

The three passengers who Singh is accused of shooting, Asgar Abbas Ali from Madhubani in Bihar, Abdul Kadar Mohamed Hussain Bhanpurwala from Nalasopara in Palghar, Maharashtra, and Syed Saifullah from Nampally in Hyderabad, did not engage in any argument with the RPF constable.

Tikaram Meena, a 57-year-old member of the Railway Protection Force, lost his life while attempting to stop Chetan Singh, a fellow constable, from opening fire on passengers aboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express.

Also Read: High-level panel members reach Mumbai to probe train firing incident

Several passengers pretended to be asleep on their berths, while others hid under sheets as Singh made his way through the coaches and shots were fired. Others fled from the coaches.

The statements of the majority of passengers have been recorded by the Borivali Government Railway Police, which is looking into the killings.

“There were murmurs of ‘goli chali’ in the coach. I got up and bent a little to look towards B-6 because the noise had come from that side. I was shocked when I saw that an RPF man had killed his colleague,” said a passenger in coach B-5 who woke up to the sound of a gunshot.

"Everyone in the coach was afraid and hid beneath sheets and blankets. As it happened in the early hours, it was dark in the coach and there was silence. We could hear his footsteps as he walked past us from one passage (between B-6 and B-5) to another (between B-5 and B-4). Nearly 10 minutes later, we heard another shot when he killed a civilian (Abdul Kadar Mohamed Hussain Bhanpurawala) near the toilet between coaches B-5 and B-4,” the passenger added.

Also Read: Four shot dead by Railway Protection Force jawan on Jaipur-Mumbai train

Another passenger who was traumatised by the incident said, "I was sleeping when I suddenly heard the loud sound of firing. It was very similar to that of a firecracker. I woke up and heard people say there has been a firing. Other passengers told me to hide under the blanket until it was over. I did that, and emerged only after the train halted near Mira Road.”

A man, 46 years old, recalled overhearing a conversation between Meena and Singh said, “The train was supposed to reach Vapi at 4.05 am. So I woke up accordingly. While I waited for the train to reach Vapi railway station, I could hear two RPF men arguing. They were seated next to my berth.”

He said the ASI was yelling at the constable while the latter kept saying he was not feeling well and wanted to get off at either Vapi or Valsad railway stations.

“I heard the ASI tell him that he had just started his duty at Surat and how could he allow him (Singh) to be relieved of duty this early. The ASI claimed he had to answer to his superiors for their mischief. In between, another RPF man joined their conversation after which they called someone and were trying to resolve the issue,” he added.

As he was getting off, he noticed Singh was in discomfort and saw him stretching his legs near the toilet.

In coach S-6, where Asgar Abbas Sheikh was killed, a 40-year-old passenger said Singh spoke with Sheikh before opening fire. “I was removing my luggage when I saw the constable talking to him. I don’t know what they were talking about. After that, the constable went towards the toilet,” he said.

As he waited for the train to arrive in Borivali, he took his luggage out and placed it close to the door when all of a sudden Singh approached Asgar's seat and shot him.

“I did not understand why he was shot because, throughout the journey, the man (Asgar) did not fight with anyone and had been sitting calmly,” he added.

All the other passengers in S-6 too also said that there was no reason for RPF constable Chetan Singh to fire at Sheikh.

A passenger, who works at the Matunga railway workshop, said, “Initially, I thought the noise was from an electrical spark. But when I peeped from my (top) berth, I saw a man lying in a pool of blood below. I could only see the constable’s back with a body under his leg. Others were making a video of him saying something, which I could not hear properly.”

He said that a female passenger who had come to his compartment to hide told him that the constable had asked other passengers to film his video.

The video went viral on social media where RPF constable Singh is purportedly heard saying, “Pakistan se operate hue ye, aur media yehi coverage dikha rahi hai, unko sab pata chal raha hai ye kya kar rahe hain… Agar vote dena hai, agar Hindustan mein rehna hai to mai kehta hoon Modi aur Yogi, ye do hain.”