RPF constable Chetan Singh, who allegedly shot dead ASI Tikaram Meena and three passengers on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express in the early hours of July 31, had an argument with Meena who was heard shouting at him for asking to be relieved from duty early because he was unwell.
There was also no argument between Singh and the three passengers he allegedly shot – Asgar Abbas Ali from Madhubani in Bihar; Abdul Kadar Mohamed Hussain Bhanpurwala from Nalasopara in Palghar, Maharashtra; and Syed Saifullah from Nampally in Hyderabad.
These details emerge from a series of phone conversations that The Indian Express had with at least 20 passengers who were in the coaches where the killings took place.
Gripped by fear as Singh made his way through the coaches and shots rang out, some of the passengers pretended to be asleep on their berths, others hid beneath sheets.
The Borivali Government Railway Police, which is investigating the killings, has recorded the statements of most passengers.
A passenger in coach B-5 said he woke up to the sound of a gunshot. “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 a RPF man had killed his colleague,” he said.
He said 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,” he said.
A relative shows a photo of Saifuddin, a man who was shot dead by RPF constable Chetan Singh. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Another passenger said he was traumatised by the incident: “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’s over. I did that, and emerged only after the train halted near Mira Road.”
A 46-year-old, who was to get off at Vapi railway station in Gujarat, recalled overhearing a conversation between Meena and Singh.
He said he was up around 3.45 am. “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 station.
“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 said.
He said while he was getting off, he noticed that Singh appeared to be in discomfort and was stretching his legs near the toilet.
A 40-year-old in coach S-6, where Asgar Abbas Sheikh was killed, said Singh had a word 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.
He said he had removed his luggage and kept it near the door, waiting for the train to reach Borivali, when suddenly Singh went to 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 said.
Other passengers in S-6 too said there was no reason for Singh to fire at Sheikh.
A passenger, who works at the Matunga railway workshop, said he was sleeping on a berth next to Sheikh’s. He said he woke up to the sound of firing.
“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.
He said a woman passenger, who had come to his compartment to hide, told him that Singh had asked other passengers to shoot his video.
The video later went viral on social media where Singh is 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.”
The passenger said, “Singh got off the train after it stopped between Mira Road and Dahisar railway stations. All the passengers got off as soon as the train stopped at Borivali railway station.”
Chetan Singh being taken to the magistrate court. (ANI)
A relative shows a photo of Saifuddin, a man who was shot dead by RPF constable Chetan Singh. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
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