How RPF constable roamed for 40 minutes, fired indiscremately in running train

Passengers aboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express experienced 40 minutes of terror on Monday as RPF constable Chetan Singh fired his automatic rifle, discharging 12 out of 20 bullets. As per a ToI report, Singh, who seemed hot-headed and agitated, is being investigated for the incident, including reports of a possible mental health breakdown.

Earlier, Singh had a confrontation with passengers at Surat. Along with his colleagues - constables Narendra Parmar and Amey Acharya, and assistant sub-inspector Tikaram Meena - they boarded the train as an escort team at Surat. The previous day, they had escorted the Dadar-Porbandar Saurashtra Express from Mumbai, and on the return trip, they were to stay onboard until Mumbai Central.

At Valsad, Singh expressed uneasiness and wanted to get off the train, but his colleagues advised him to rest and took away his weapon, the AR-M1. Later, Singh insisted on resuming duty, and when Constable Acharya refused to return his rifle, Singh attacked him. Subsequently, at 5.15 am near Vaitarna station, Singh shot four bullets into Meena, followed by killing a passenger named Kadar Bhanpurwala in the same coach.


Over the next 40 minutes, Singh moved through several coaches, firing at passengers. He killed another unidentified passenger in the pantry car and then shot Asghar Abbas Ali in coach S6. Passengers tried to hide as he continued firing, and some bullets shattered the train's windowpanes. Singh spoke incoherently about "Pakistan," "media coverage," and domestic politics during the spree, and his remarks were recorded on camera.

Upon receiving the information, the escort team alerted the control room. A passenger pulled the alarm chain, and the train stopped near Mira Road station. Singh fled the train with his rifle, and the GRP personnel chased him. He dropped the rifle while running into the mangroves, and the police eventually caught him when he returned to retrieve it. Singh was arrested and exclaimed "Inquilab Zindabad" while in custody at the Borivali GRP chowky. The railway board has set up a five-member panel to conduct an inquiry into the incident.