After spending year in jail for selectively killing members of a community in train, ex-RPF constable now begging his family, ‘mujhe bahar nikalo’

The Borivali GRP officials in October 2023 filed a 1,097-paged chargesheet with the accounts of nearly 39 eye witnesses against Chaudhary, who is currently lodged in Akola prison.

The police, which claimed to have prepared a watertight case, said Chaudhary killed the three passengers out of hate.

After filing a chargesheet in the case, no significant development occurred. “The procedure of charges framing against the accused (Chaudhary) hasn’t yet taken place. The trial in the case is yet to commence,” a police source said.

The government had announced that the case would be run on a fast track basis. However, till date the case has not been assigned a special public prosecutor yet, another source said.

Hyderabad resident Yunus Sayed (25), brother of  Saifuddin Sayed (44), alleged that the case is moving at a snail’s pace and that the police have not been giving any update on the case to the family members of the victim.

“My brother was the sole breadwinner of his family comprising his wife and three kids. The kids are young and still miss their father… The accused RPF constable has devastated the entire family. He should get the maximum punishment,” Yunus Syed said.

Saifuddin Syed, a mobile technician from Hyderabad, was going to Mumbai along with his employer for some work on the day of the incident.

Family members of Asgar Abbas Ali Shaikh (48) said that it was a case of a “protector-turned-predator” and the accused should be given the strictest punishment.

“The accused RPF constable should be hanged. He destroyed four families. His duty was to protect the passengers but he himself killed passengers. He should get the death penalty. If the strictest punishment is not given to culprits of such heinous crimes then we are encouraging criminals for more such crimes,” said Nagpur-based Mohammed Jikarraullah Syed, 29, step brother of Asgar Abbas Ali Shaikh.

Mohammed Jikarraullah had claimed Shaikh’s body and took it to Jaipur where the body was buried.

Shaikh, who hails from Bihar’s Madhubani, was a bangle vendor from Nagpur and was going to Mumbai to meet his brother on July 31, last year.

Advocate Vishnu Bhatt, who is representing the family of deceased Abdul Kadar Mohamed Hussain Bhanpurawala, as intervenor in the case, said, “The case is moving at a snail’s pace as charges are yet to be framed against the accused.”

According to police, Chaudhary allegedly forced a burqa-clad passenger in the train to say “Jai Mata Di” at gunpoint and told another passenger that he was taking revenge for 2008 (referring to Mumbai 26/11 terror attack, carried out by Pakistani terrorists).

After killing the four people, he allegedly gave a “hate speech” standing next to the body of one of the victims. A forensic examination was already done of the video of Chaudhary’s speech, following which police added section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), of the IPC.

Chaudhary was dismissed from the service after the incident. Chaudhary’s lawyer Amit Mishra said that he had in the past requested before the authority that he be shifted back to prison in Mumbai or Thane. However, the prison authority turned down the request and kept him at the Akola prison citing security reasons.

Chaudhary’s mother Rajendridevi, 53 from Uttar Pradesh, said that his son has done a grave sin for which now his family is paying the price.

She said,  “He killed four people, destroyed four families. He destroyed his (late) father’s name and repute… Because of his sinful act he was dismissed from service. Now we are struggling to meet ends. He should have killed me instead. I don’t know how he developed so much radical thoughts… His senior officers are also responsible. Why didn’t they observe change in his behaviour and if there was any history, then why did they give him a gun?”

Chaudhary’s mother also said that when she and her daughter met Chaudhary in the jail he was begging before them to help him get out of the jail.

“I did not interact much with him and asked my daughter to speak to him. He told her that he doesn’t know how he ended up killing four people and begged and cried saying ‘Mujhe Bahar Nikalo’ (Please get me out),” his mother added.