Railway firing: Accused was behaving abnormally on day of incident, witness says

Mumbai, Nov 27 (PTI) Former RPF constable Chetansinh Chaudhary, accused of gunning down four people on a moving train, was behaving abnormally on the day of the incident, the complainant in the case told the trial court here on Wednesday.

Chaudhary, who was later dismissed from service, is accused of shooting dead his superior officer Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena and three passengers on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express on the city's outskirts on July 31, 2023.

The complainant, also a Railway Protection Force (RPF) employee who was on duty in the train on the day of the incident, is the first witness in the case.

During a cross-examination by the defence lawyer Jaywant Patil appearing for Chaudhary, the complainant said he had worked with the accused ten to twelve times.

"I had not noticed prior to the incident that accused picked up quarrel or altercation with colleagues and staff while on duty. He did not disclose his mental status to me prior to the incident," the witness said.

He could not state whether Chaudhary was not feeling well that day, but he noticed that Chaudhary's "behavior was a little bit abnormal", he said.

Chaudhary's lawyers and family have claimed that he had psychological issues and was undergoing treatment.

To a question by the prosecution, the witness told the court that he shot two videos on his mobile phone before the incident. The first was a video of altercations that took place between Meena and the accused, and the second showed passengers' reactions.

One of the passengers in the video was later shot down by the accused.

"'However, I cannot state that the passenger seen in the second video with a beard was the same person whose dead body I saw (later) on Borivali Railway platform," the witness said.

Chaudhary, lodged in a jail in eastern Maharashtra's Akola district, attended the hearing through video link. The witness' cross-examination by the defence will continue on November 28.

The incident took place around 5 am on July 31, 2023, on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express when it was near Palghar railway station.

According to police, Chaudhary shot dead ASI Meena and a passenger in B5 coach with his automatic weapon. He then fired at another passenger in the train's pantry car and one more person in S6 coach located next to the buffet car, killing both of them. PTI AVI KRK