Owaisi calls Jaipur-Mumbai train killings terror attack as RPF constable's video goes viral
The police have not revealed the motive of the killings and the investigation is underway.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday alleged that the firing incident on the Mumbai-bound Jaipur Express Train was a "terror attack" targeting Muslims.
A Railway Protection Force constable shot dead his senior colleague and three passengers in two bogies and a pantry car on board the moving train near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra. The deceased passengers were identified as Abdul Qadirbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala (48), Akhtar Abbas Ali (48), and Sadar Mohammed Hussain.
A video doing rounds on social media shows the accused, Constable Chetan Singh (34), standing near the body of a victim.
In the video, shot by fellow passengers, Singh, can be purportedly heard saying: “… Pakistan se operate hue ye, aur media yehi coverage dikha rahi hai, unko sab pata chal raha hai ye kya kar rahe hain… Agar vote dena hai, agar Hindustan mein rehna hai to mai kehta hoon Modi aur Yogi, ye do hain, aur aapke Thackeray.”
According to a report by The Indian Express, officials said they were verifying the authenticity of the video.
The police have not revealed the motive of the killings and the investigation is underway.
Commenting on the video shared by a social media user, Owaisi hit out at the BJP government, asking whether the accused would be celebrated or garlanded upon his release, and if the saffron party would provide him an “election ticket.”
“This is a terror attack that specifically targeted Muslims. It is the product of continuous anti-Muslim hate speech & unwillingness of @narendramodi to put an end to it. Will the accused #RPFJawan become a future BJP candidate? Will his bail be supported by the govt? Will he be garlanded when released? Happy to be proven wrong,” the AIMIM boss wrote along with the video.
Jaipur Mumbai Express firing incident
The RPF personnel allegedly fired upon his colleague, an assistant sub-inspector, and three passengers on board the Mumbai-bound Jaipur Express on Monday morning after a heated argument with the ASI. Singh jumped out of the train near Dahisar railway station after the shooting but was later arrested along with his weapon.
The accused was suffering from mental health issues and is a short-tempered person, according to PC Sinha, inspector general-cum-principal chief security commissioner, Western Railway. "He had just returned from leave. He first shot his superior and then shot those who came in front of him," Sinha added.