RPF Constable Shooting: Statements contradict as unscrutinised video suggesting communal incitement emerges

On July 31st, at 5 in the morning, a horrendous incident shook the passengers in the Mumbai-bound Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express. The travellers got terrorised when a 33-year-old RPF constable, Chetan Singh, barraged 12 rounds from his automatic service weapon to murder four unsuspecting individuals. 

Chetan’s senior Assistant Sub-Inspector Tikaram Meena and three passengers: Abdul Qadirbhai, Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala, Akhtar Abbas Ali, and Sadar Mohammed Hussain, lost their lives under the freakish cannonade.

Chetan murdered ASI Meena first and then went on to one coach after another in a spree claiming the lives of three unsuspecting passengers. After realising what he had done, Chetan pulled the alarm chain between Mira Road and Dahisar stations at 5.59 AM. 

An agitated Chetan jumped out of the stranded train and tried to flee for his life but was soon apprehended by the Government Railway Police (GRP) officials. Chetan was taken into custody by the Mira Road Railway Police, and the four bodies were taken off the train at Borivali Railway Station.

A viral video inkling at a politico-communal angle:

By the evening of July 31st, a 51-second-long purported video, recorded by the terrorised passengers minutes after the incident, appalled the netizens. (The credibility of the video stays unscrutinised.)

In the video, Chetan can be frantically heard and seen blathering broken sentences. With the corpses lying in a blood pool, Chetan blathered a few words to justify his deed. The video features Chetan’s futile attempt to convince the stunned passengers that the dead persons had links with Pakistan. He allegedly said that the media would reiterate his claims that anyone who wanted to live in India should only vote for “Modi and Yogi.”

The Indian Express cited a source from the Western Railway, who claimed that shots got fired after Chetan’s argument with his colleagues turned communal. 

What has the police divulged thus far?

Soon after the incident, numerous high-ranking police authorities addressed the media to divulge and screen sensitive information from getting revealed to the public.

They informed the press that a First Information Report (FIR) had been registered against Chetan Singh at the Borivali Railway Police Station under several sections of the Indian Penal Code. Chetan was charged with section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Arms Act and Railway Police Act.

When asked about the purported video that had been widely circulating online, Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner Ravindra Shisve maintained, “It is too early to jump to any conclusion, and at this stage, it will be premature to comment anything and share any details about the probe.”

However, when quizzed about the potential motive behind Chetan’s crime, Inspector General cum Principal Chief Security Commissioner, Western Railway PC Sinha claimed that Singh was “suffering from mental health issues.” 

Claims of Chetan’s unsound mental health:

Chetan Singh hails from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, and had lately returned from his hometown after a 12-day leave and resumed his duty on July 18th. His family includes a wife, two children, and his parents.  

A senior police official described Chetan as a very short-tempered man displaying erratic behaviour. The FIR, as reported by the Mira Road Railway Police, claimed that Chetan complained about feeling unwell and wanted to be relieved from duty a few hours before his shift ended. When his seniors denied sanctioning his leave, he got enraged further.

Chetan Singh’s uncle, Bhagwan Singh, alleged that his colleagues had been harassing him for some time. He told the Quint, “They were not transferring him. That’s why he must have taken this step.”

Modi Government orders taking down of the purported video of the incident:

The Modi Government ordered X (Twitter) to take down the purported video of the crime suggesting a communal backdrop under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. 

The Government also ordered the taking down of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi’s post on the incident where he posted the clip and captioned: “This is a terror attack that specifically targeted Muslims. It is the product of continuous anti-Muslim hate speech & unwillingness of @narendramodi to put an end to it.“

When a video featuring three Manipuri tribal women getting paraded naked went viral, the Center had similarly called for censoring all posts related to the video. 

Take away:

Whether Chetan got communally prompted or was frustrated with his job shall not revive the four deceased victims. However, the fact that the RPF allowed a delirious individual to attend his duty, despite inklings of his frustration and lack of sanity, this man getting allowed to enter the confined spaces of train coaches with an automated rifle is rather unnerving. 

Today, a layman may ask, “Who will watch the watchers?” Who shall save us from the weapon-yielding ‘protectors’ of our society? Sadly, these issues shall never make it to the prime-time debates of mainstream media. As the binary of communal hate-mongering and blatant partisanship of India’s ‘Star Anchors’ continues to enthral the unsuspecting viewers, who shall take up the arduous task of raising real issues and matters of actual public interest?

Unlike the mainstream corporate media, we do not wish to sensationalise a gruesome act of violence without substantial proof. Our hearts go out to the deceased and their families, and we can only pray that such an incident never occurs again. Until then, we must continue to raise our voices and dedicate efforts to cater to communal harmony and national integrity.