Palghar; 2 Aug 2023 (UMMN): A Hindutva terrorist shot dead a senior colleague and three Muslim passengers on board a train, while hailing PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath.
The terrorist was identified as Chetan Singh, 33, from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh state, a constable of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
In one of the videos widely shared on the social media platform, Singh, after the shooting on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express train early on Monday, is seen standing next to a blood-soaked body with his rifle in one hand.
“If you want to live and vote in Hindustan [India], I am telling you, it’s only Modi and Yogi,” he was heard saying in one of the videos verified by Al Jazeera.
Singh is accused of shooting RPF assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Tika Ram Meena, 57, from Schedule Tribe and three passengers, two of whom were Muslim. They were identified as Abdul Kadar, 64, and Asgar Abbas Ali, 48, a bangle seller, according to the Indian Express newspaper. The third victim was yet to be identified appears to be a Muslim.
Singh had been involved in an argument with Meena “over communities”, after which he opened fire on his senior colleague using his service rifle, the Indian Express reported.
Singh allegedly fired 12 rounds from his service rifle to kill his colleague and a passenger. He then allegedly killed two other passengers in two other coaches of the train, according to Indian media reports.
“All three passengers were bearded. As Asghar’s body toppled onto the narrow corridor, Singh rested the hilt of his assault weapon on the side seat and began a short hate-filled rant against Muslims that he asked the bystanders to record for the media’s consumption.” Reported Hindustan Times.
“We received information at 6am that an RPF constable who was on escort duty opened fired, and four people were shot, one of whom was an ASI,” Divisional Railway Manager Niraj Verma told reporters in Mumbai.
The fatal shooting has been condemned on social media, with a senior leader from the opposition Indian National Congress party, Jairam Ramesh, calling it “cold-blooded murders”.
“The genie of hate is now out of the bottle and it will take a lot of collective effort to put it back in,” Ramesh said in a tweet.
He laid the blame for “hate and violence” on Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said its top leaders were “complicit in damaging the social fabric of India”.
Asaduddin Owaisi, a member of parliament and leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) party which advocates for the rights of Muslims and other marginalised groups, called it a “terror attack that specifically targeted Muslims”.
