Jaipur-Mumbai train shooting: No mental condition detected in periodical medical examination of accused RPF constable, says Rlys

Team Udayavani, Aug 2, 2023, 7:45 PM IST

RPF Constable Chetan Singh (R)

New Delhi: The Railways on Tuesday said the RPF constable accused in the Jaipur-Mumbai train shooting incident kept the treatment he would have been undergoing for any mental condition a ”secret” and no such ailment was detected in the last periodic medical examination for the force’s personnel.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) Constable Chetan Singh (33) is accused of gunning down his senior colleague Tika Ram Meena and three passengers aboard the moving train near Palghar railway station on the outskirts of Mumbai in the early hours of Monday with his automatic weapon, officials had said. He was nabbed later.

Following media reports claiming that the constable suffered from ”abnormal hallucinations” and was diagnosed with serious anxiety disorder, the Ministry of Railways in a statement said that the matter is being investigated by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Borivali.

”In this regard, it is stated that there is system of Periodical Medical Examination (PME) of Railway Protection Force constables, and in the last PME, no such medical ailment/ condition was detected,” it said.

”The treatment for the present medical ailment would have been taken on his personal level by Chetan Singh, and is not in his official records. He and his family have kept it a secret. The matter is under investigation with GRP Borivali,” the statement said.

On July 31, around 5:23 am, on duty, RPF train escort staff Constable Chetan Singh shot his in-charge ASI Meena using his service ARM rifle (AK-47) while he was performing duty in the B-5 coach of the Jaipur-Mumbai Express at Vaitarna railway station, the railways said. He also shot dead three passengers.

Singh was apprehended by officers and staff of RPF Post, Bhayandar, and handed over to the local police in Borivali for further legal action. A high-level committee headed by an ADG of the RPF has been constituted to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.