Was in well-settled mind: Court denies bail to RPF man in train firing case

A court here on Saturday denied bail to dismissed Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetansinh Chaudhary, accused of shooting dead his senior colleague and three passengers on a moving train in July this year, by stating he was in a "well settled position and mind" at the time of crime.

His bail was rejected by Additional Sessions Judge (Dindoshi Court) AZ Khan who held the offence was serious.

Chaudhary not only killed his senior but also three others of a "particular community" by making them specific targets, the court said.

The accused uttered words which clearly show "he was in a well settled position and mind to commit murder of people belonging to a specific community", the court said while rejecting his bail plea.

Chaudhary, who is lodged in a jail in Maharashtra's Akola, about 550 kms from here, was present in the court during the hearing.

In his bail plea, filed last month through advocates Amit Mishra and Pankaj Ghildiyal, the accused said he has been suffering from "haunted illusions of the ghostly world", and doing some weird act.

The police had opposed his plea, saying that he appeared to have harboured "anger and grudge" towards a particular community and showed no remorse for the crime committed.

If his bail is granted, it could create a negative image about the law and also create fear, panic and insecurity among certain religious groups, the Government Railway Police (RPF), which is probing the case, had submitted.

Umesa Khatoon, wife of victim Asgar Shaikh, through her advocates Karim Pathan and Fazlurrahman Shaikh, had also opposed Chaudhary's bail, saying the accused is a "terrorist minded person" and "a threat to national security".

"There is prima facie case of four brutal murders committed by the hatemonger accused witnessed by 39 eyewitnesses and virtually witnessed by the entire nation," the advocates submitted.

The incident took place on July 31 on board the moving Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra.

He shot dead RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena and another passenger in B5 coach with his automatic weapon. He then shot dead another passenger in a pantry car and one more passenger in S6 coach next to the pantry car after 5 am.

Chaudhary (34) was later nabbed with his weapon while trying to flee after passengers pulled the chain of the train and got it to halt at Mira Road.

In October, the police filed a chargesheet against Chaudhary.

He has been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 302 (murder), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) and others, as well as relevant provisions of Railways Act and Maharashtra Prevention Of Defacement of Property Act.