Train Firing: RPF Constable Shot ‘Bearded’ Man Twice, Witness Tells Mumbai Court

A key eyewitness in the July 2023 train shooting case told a Mumbai court on Monday that she saw a “bearded man lying in a pool of blood” after being shot twice by former Railway Protection Force constable Chetansinh Chaudhary.

Chaudhary is accused of killing his senior, ASI Tika Ram Meena, and 3 passengers on board the Jaipur–Mumbai Central Superfast Express near Palghar on July 31, 2023. He was arrested shortly after fleeing the train and has since been dismissed from service.

Deposing before Additional Sessions Judge Y B Pathan, the 29-year-old witness recalled waking up around 5:30 am to see Chaudhary chasing a man out of the pantry car. “I asked him if something had happened. He just stared at me angrily,” she said.

She further testified that Chaudhary later confronted a bearded passenger in her compartment and, after an argument, shot him twice. “I later saw him lying in a pool of blood,” she added.

Under cross-examination, the witness admitted she did not go near the spot out of fear. She later recognised the accused from news reports after returning home.

Chaudhary, produced before the court via video conferencing, faces charges under IPC Section 302 (murder), 153-A (promoting enmity), along with provisions of the Railways Act and the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.

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