New Delhi: Hours after saying that Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetan Singh — who allegedly gunned down his senior and three passengers on a Mumbai-bound train on 31 July — and his family had kept his medical issues a secret, the Indian Railways withdrew its statement Wednesday.
In the now-withdrawn press statement, issued at 5.17 pm, the Railways said that some sections of the media had reported that Singh was suffering from “abnormal hallucinations” and was diagnosed with “serious anxiety disorder”.
However, it went on to state that “no such medical ailment/condition” was detected in Singh’s last periodical medical examination and that he would have taken treatment “for his present medical ailment” at his personal level, but it is not mentioned in his official records. “He and his family have kept it a secret,” the now-withdrawn statement said.
Two sources in the railway ministry, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint Thursday that a high-level committee has been set up which is conducting an enquiry into all aspects of the incident.
“Hence, we felt that it was a bit early to issue the statement. The committee will also look into the aspect of the medical tests, which are currently being done after an interval of five years, and whether it is sufficient,” the first source said, adding that the committee consists of members from the RPF and the Railways’ safety department.
The source added that the committee will also look into the aspect of “who should and should not carry weapons in order to avoid compromising safety, including deployment”.
The other source said the committee consists of six members and its objective is to probe the incident and ascertain what measures can be recommended going further.
On 31 July, Singh allegedly shot his senior and in-charge, Assistant Sub-Inspector Tikaram Meena, using his service rifle — an AK-47 — on a Jaipur-Mumbai train at Maharashtra’s Vaitarna railway station. He also gunned down three passengers, identified as Asgar Abbas Sheikh from Bihar’s Madhubani, Abdul Kadarbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala from Maharashtra’s Palghar and Syed Saifuddin from Hyderabad’s Nampally.
The incident drew a sharp response from opposition party leaders. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, in a tweet, called it a “terror attack” specifically targeted at Muslims, while lashing out at the Narendra Modi-led central government.
Set up under The Railway Protection Force Act in 1957, the RPF is tasked with protecting and securing railway property, passengers and the passenger areas. It has the power to search, arrest, enquire and prosecute (for) offences under the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act 1966 and The Railways Act, 1989, according to the Railways website.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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