In a tragic incident on a train travelling from Jaipur to Mumbai, a constable with India’s Railway Protection Force (RPF) has been arrested for shooting dead four people the BBC reported.
The accused, identified as Chetan Kumar Choudhary, first targeted Tikaram Meena, an assistant sub-inspector with the RPF, and then proceeded to shoot three other passengers on the train.
The shooting occurred just after the train passed the town of Palghar, around 96 km (60 miles) from Mumbai.
After the incident, Kumar pulled the in-house alarm chain to stop the train and attempted to escape. However, he was apprehended by authorities on the outskirts of Mumbai.
The victims of the shooting are being identified as investigations into the constable’s motive are underway.
RPF personnel are responsible for ensuring the safety of railway passengers and property in India.
According to a statement from the Western Railways, there were no apparent arguments or altercations before the shooting, leading some officials to believe that the constable may have been facing personal or mental health issues at the time of the incident.
In the aftermath of the incident, some reports have suggested that the RPF constable, may have been a short-tempered person.
However, the Western Railway Police Commissioner refuted claims of any argument leading up to the shooting, stating that the constable was not feeling well and acted impulsively.
The incident has resulted in a case of murder being lodged under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, and investigations are ongoing to understand the sequence of events that led to the killings.
