‘RPF constable is of sound mind, hates Muslims’

Investigators add hate crime charges against Chetan Singh, say he claims he would have killed more people if he had the opportunity

RPF constable Chetan Kumar Singh, who killed four people aboard a train last week, has been booked for promoting enmity too, sources said. The GRP on Monday told the Borivli court that he is of sound mental health and got custody of him until August 11.
 
The 33-year-old RPF constable was produced before the Borivli magistrate court on Monday. The court remanded him in Government Railway Police (GRP) custody until August 11. GRP officers told the court that Singh is of sound mental health.

RPF Constable Chetan Kumar Singh being taken to magistrate court in Borivli, on Monday. Pic/PTI

On the morning of July 31, Singh shot dead his senior officer and three passengers aboard Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express. Someone pulled the emergency chain and he fled from the train, but was caught outside by the GRP officers who had been alerted.

Seeking his custody, the GRP officers told the court they are yet to obtain the CCTV footage of the entire train journey and analyse the sequence of events. The officers said they wanted to find out whether Singh was instigated by someone to commit the crime.

Hatred against Muslims

According to sources, Singh does not have any regrets for killing four innocent people. “Singh told the GRP and the RPF personnel that if the train had not stopped, then he would have killed eight-10 more people. He has said that his final wish is to go to Pakistan and kill everyone there," a GRP source said.

He appears to have hatred against the Muslim community, the source added. “This is the reason why he refused to undergo a medical check-up by a bearded doctor (an intern) when he was taken to Cooper hospital following his arrest. He thought he was a Muslim. When other young doctors without a beard were called, he did not protest,” the source added.

Singh’s lawyer Surendra Landage, who is the secretary of Borivli Bar Association, however, claimed that the RPF constable is mentally unwell. “Singh was not in his senses at the time of the crime,” he said. Landage said the police had not presented any report, except Singh’s regular medical check-up like psychological tests before the court in the second remand hearing.

New charges

The Borivli GRP has added IPC Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) to the FIR against Singh.

They have also added Sections 363 (punishment for kidnapping), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), and 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) of the IPC based on the statement of Jaffar Khan, a witness in the case. Khan told the GRP that Singh had taken Sayed Saifuddin, one of the deceased passengers, at gunpoint from B2 coach and shot him at point-blank range near the pantry, the source added.

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