RPF constable who killed 4 on moving train charged with 'promoting enmity'
Days after refuting any communal link in the shocking murder of 4 people by Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetan Singh, the Government Railway Police (GRP) has added Indian Penal Code section 153-A, for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, in the case against him.
A video of Chetan Singh on the train, apparently recorded by passengers, had gone viral after the horrific incident. In the video, one of the bodies was lying at his feet while he made a communal speech mentioning Pakistan and domestic political issues.
Also read: Train shootings: Viral video shows RPF cop justifying killings; Railway Police say ‘verifying clip’
“…Agar vote dena hai, agar Hindustan me rehna hai, toh mai kehta hoon, Modi aur Yogi, ye do hain, aur aapke Thackeray” (…If you want to vote, if you want to live in India, then I say, Modi and Yogi, these are the two, and your Thackeray),” he can be heard saying in the video. Officials so far haven’t denied the authenticity of the video.
Three of the people Chetan Singh shot dead were Muslims. The accused first shot his superior, Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena, followed by three passengers — Abdul Qadirbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala, Akhtar Abbas Ali, and Sadar Mohammed Hussain, in three different coaches.
Also read: RPF constable shoots dead 4 persons on Jaipur-Mumbai train
Meanwhile, a Mumbai court on Monday extended his police remand till August 11. The GRP sought the extension of his custody for seven days, saying they need to identify the witnesses and scan CCTV footage. The magistrate, however, granted Singh’s custody to the police till August 11.
The incident took place on July 31 onboard the moving Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra. Singh was nabbed with his weapon later while trying to flee after passengers pulled the chain of the train which stopped near Mira Road station (on the Mumbai suburban network).
(With agency inputs)
