2023 train firing: Witness says he heard accused RPF cop complaining about his health to senior

Mumbai, Oct 6 (PTI) A witness in the July 2023 firing incident, in which an armed RPF constable allegedly killed four persons on board a moving train, told a Mumbai court on Monday that he heard the accused telling his on-duty senior that he wanted to alight as he was not feeling well.

The senior, however, told Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetansinh Chaudhary, who was later dismissed, that he can't permit him to get down from the Mumbai-bound train mid-way and advised him to take rest and hand over his service rifle to a colleague, the witness said.

After a while he saw the same senior lying in a pool of blood near the bathroom of a compartment of the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express train, the witness testified.

The 33-year-old witness, a passenger who was in the same train on the day of the shooting, deposed before Additional Sessions Judge (Dindoshi court) M H Pathan, and also identified the accused.

He gave an account of the horrific firing incident, which took place near Palghar station on Mumbai's outskirts, that compelled him to stay inside a washroom of the train for over an hour that day.

Former RPF constable Chaudhary, currently in jail, is accused of shooting dead his senior colleague, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Tika Ram Meena, and three passengers on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express in the early hours of July 31, 2023.

The witness, while being examined by Additional Public Prosecutor Sudhir Sapkale, said that at around 3am (on the day of incident), he heard conversations between three persons -- a senior RPF officer and two junior personnel of the force.

The witness, later through news reports, came to know that one of the RPF personnel was Chaudhary and the senior, the late ASI Meena. He heard Chaudhary telling his senior (Meena) that he wasn't well and wanted to alight from the train.

However, the senior told the constable that he can alight at Borivali station (around 35km away from Mumbai Central) and till then advised him to take rest inside the train.

The senior instructed the accused to give his service rifle to another colleague who was on duty in the train, a direction which the latter followed, the witness recalled.

However, after some time the witness saw Chaudhary demanding his weapon back.

Then the senior gave him an understanding that people were sleeping and came out of the coach, the passenger said.

"I checked my mobile phone... it was showing 5 am. I went to the washroom (and while still inside the lavatory) I heard two or three rounds being fired. I also heard (someone) saying 'maar dia rey' (killed him)," the witness told the court.

The witness hurriedly opened the bathroom's door and saw the same RPF constable, who was complaining about not feeling well to his senior, standing there with his rifle. His senior was lying on the floor and blood was oozing out of his body, the witness said.

"I immediately closed the washroom door and made a phone call to my mother and narrated the incident to her. I also called my maternal uncle who asked me not to get scared and remain inside the washroom," the witness said.

The passenger further stated that after the train reached Borivali, he opened the washroom door and saw blood spilled inside his compartment and the police officer lying in a pool of blood.

During the testimony, the witness identified the accused (Chaudhary), who was produced in the court through video conferencing from the jail where he is lodged.

The witness, responding to a question by defence lawyer Jaywant Patil, said he cannot remember the exact number of gunshots fired that day.

He said after reaching home he saw photographs of the accused and the deceased on news channels.

Chaudhary was arrested some time after the shooting and is in jail since then.

The dismissed constable has been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 153A (promoting enmity) and others, as well as relevant provisions of the Railways Act and the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act. PTI AVI RSY