What exactly happened?
Accused Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetan Kumar opened fire on his senior ASI Tika Ram Meena in B-5 coach of Jaipur Mumbai superfast express at around 5:20 am. He proceeded to fatally shoot passenger, identified as Abdul Kader, near the door of pantry car.
Kumar then entered the S-6 coach of the train began firing, killing two passengers. While the second deceased was identified as Asgar Abbas Sheikh, the third deceased remains unidentified.
Following the shooting, the train stopped between Dahisar and Mira Road after another passenger pulled a the chain. Kumar jumped from the train and walked towards Mira Road, where he was arrested by on-duty GRP and RPF personal.
Why was the motive?
According to sources, the shooting occurred after an argument between Kumar and Tika Ram over personal and professional matters. However, railway officials denied any altercation and attributed the incident to Kumar's short temper and mental illness. He had previously requested a reliever but later changed his mind, claiming to be fit for duty.
The investigation into the motive and sequence of events is ongoing, with authorities questioning the accused and other witnesses. Kumar's behavior during the interrogation was described as erratic, possibly trying to distract from the investigation.
"The accused's relative also revealed his short-tempered nature and tendency to lose his temper over minor issues," said a Western Railway official, who spoke to Kumar's relative on Monday. "Furthermore, after reporting feeling unwell and consuming medication, he declared himself fit for duty; only to display unstable behavior minutes later, leading to the devastating incident".
Timeline of the shooting
- The train departed from Jaipur at 2:41 pm on Sunday, one minute late from the scheduled departure time
- Kumar boarded Jaipur-Mumbai superfast train at Surat with his team
- The train left Surat at 2:47 am on Monday
- The train reached Vapi at 4:05 am
- The train departed from Vapi at 4:08 am (one minute late)
- The train crossed Vaitarna at 5:28 am
- The shooting happened between Palghar and Vaitarna
- Chain pulled between Mira Road and Dahisar at 5:59 am
- Kumar jumped from the train
- The train departed at 6:12 am
- The train reached Borivali at 6:21 am
- The bodies of the deceased were taken on Borivali station's platform 8. Passengers of B-5 and S-6 coaches deboarded at the same platform. The train halted for 54 minutes.
- The train departed from Borivali at 7:15 am
- The train reached Mumbai Central at 8:07 am, one hour 12 minutes late.
