Jaipur Express shootout: Trial begins with deposition of first witness

Mumbai: The trial of Chetan Singh Chaudhary – the 34-year-old Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable who shot dead his senior and three passengers with his service rifle in a running train while on duty on July 31, 2023 – commenced on Monday with the murder weapon being exhibited and the first witness, Amey Acharya, deposing before the Dindoshi sessions court.
Acharya, 27, the complainant in the case, was a constable in the RPF. He was dismissed from service in March this year for “failure to discharge (his) duty of providing safety and security to passengers”.
Chaudhary killed his senior, assistant sub inspector (ASI) Tikaram Meena, and three passengers – Kadar Bhanpurwala, Syed Saifuddin and Asghar Abbas Shaikh, all bearded Muslims. Though not an eye witness to the shootings, Acharya witnessed the events prior to the incident. Under examination in chief by the additional public prosecutor Sudhir Sapkale, Acharya recounted that soon after their four-member RPF team boarded the Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express at Surat around 3am on July 31, Chaudhary insisted on getting off at Valsad, saying he was unwell. He refused to pay heed to team-in-charge ASI Meena, who asked Chaudhary to cope till they reached Mumbai in a few hours. Instead, he insisted on speaking to assistant security commissioner Sujit Pandey, Acharya told the court.
Pandey instructed Meena to keep one staffer with Chaudhary, take possession of his rifle and let him rest. Acharya was assigned that task, but after some time, Chaudhary forcibly took the weapon back from him.
“He caught hold of my neck,” said Acharya. “As the passengers were sleeping, I didn’t fight with him.”
When Sapkale asked Acharya why Chaudhary was so aggressive, he replied, “Possibly because he wasn’t allowed to get off at Valsad, which was an unscheduled stop, and then at Vapi. Also, I had taken his rifle away.”
Thereafter, Acharya saw Chaudhary release the safety catch of his rifle and alerted Meena. A discussion ensued between Meena and Chaudhary, which Acharya video-recorded on his mobile phone. He also recorded a conversation with passengers telling him he had done his best to persuade Chaudhary. Acharya told the court he did this because he wanted evidence showing he was not to blame for Chaudhary’s acts. Acharya’s mobile was also exhibited in court.
Acharya was in another part of the train when Chaudhary went on a shooting spree. At around 5.25am, a colleague from Nalasopara informed him over the phone that Chaudhary had shot Meena. As he rushed to find Meena, he saw an angry-looking Chaudhary holding his rifle and retreated as he was afraid of being shot too. Soon after, somebody pulled the chain and when the train stopped, Acharya, standing near the door, saw Chaudhary outside, aiming his rifle at the train. Warning the passengers to shut the windows, and afraid that Choudhury may see him, Acharya hid in the bathroom, from where he could see Chaudhary walking along the tracks with his rifle, he told the court.
His actions of hiding in the bathroom, and leaving Meena alone with Chaudhary after the latter had released the safety catch of his rifle, were mentioned in his dismissal order. Acharya will be cross-examined on November 27.