The accused, Chetan Singh, who shot dead four onboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Express train on Monday entered an altercation with his senior as he was not relieved from duty despite being unwell.
According to the FIR, Singh told his colleagues hours before the incident that he was not feeling well. Reportedly, he wanted to get off the train but he was asked to complete the shift.
'He was in no mood to listen', said Ghanshyam Acharya, a constable with Railway Protection Force (RPF) and his colleague, reported NDTV.
Singh lost his temper when he was not allowed to de-board the train that led to an argument with his senior ASI Tikaram Meena.
Acharya was with Singh on duty on Sunday night. They had boarded the Mumbai-bound train at Surat around 2.53 am. He narrated the events that happened on the night to the police.
Singh and Meena was on duty in the air-conditioned compartments, while Acharya was in one of the sleeper coaches.
“Around half an hour after we started, I went to ASI Meena to submit a report. Constable Chetan Singh and three ticket inspectors were with him. ASI Meena told me that Chetan Singh is not feeling well. I touched him to see if he was running a fever but I could not figure it out. Singh wanted to get off the train at the next station. ASI Meena was telling him that he had at least two hours of duty left,” read Acharya's statement.
Since Singh was not listening to Meena, he had informed the Mumbai Central control room who also asked him to convince him. Meena tried to convince Singh that in less than three hours the train will reach Mumbai and his duty shift also will be over.
However, Singh insisted on being relieved from duty early and to be dropped off at Valsad railway station.
The ASI had even called their Assistant Security Commissioner Sujit Kumar and even he tried to make him understand but Singh was not ready to listen to anyone, read Acharya's statement.
Meena had asked Singh to take rest for some time as well.
"I was seated next to him while he was resting but after 10 to 15 minutes he suddenly got up and forcefully took the rifle from me. As I was not ready to give the rifle, he even tried to strangle me," Acharya told police.
Later he realised that Singh had accidentally taken his rifle following which Acharya along with other RPF men chased him and took his rifle in custody.
"Even while returning my rifle and taking possession of his own rifle, I saw that Singh was very furious. Meena was still trying to explain to him but Singh kept arguing. Even I intervened in between and tried to explain, but he was not listening to either of us. So I decided to go away from there," reads Acharya's statement, reported The Indian Express.
Then later by around 5 am the incident took place and he had shot Meena. The train had stopped between Mira Road and Dahisar railway station where Singh tried to escape but he was caught by the police.
High-level probe initiated
The Government Railway Police (GRP) has formed a SIT to probe the incident. Singh was charged under IPC Section 302 (for murder). A five-member committee will conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the incident, said a senior railway official.
The probe committee comprises principal chief security commissioners of the Western Railway and the Central Railway, principal chief commercial manager of the North Western Railway, principal chief medical director of the North Central Railway and principal chief personnel officer of the West Central Railway, reported PTI.
The panel has been asked to submit its report on the incident to the Railway Board in the next three months.
Meanwhile, a statement released by the Western Railway said that an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh has been announced for the passengers who died in the incident.
Singh's family includes his wife, two children aged six and eight.
