The railways on Wednesday said in a statement that no mental ailment was detected in the last periodic medical examination of the RPF constable accused in the Jaipur-Mumbai train shooting incident, but withdrew it within hours.
Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetan Singh (33) is accused of gunning down his senior colleague Tika Ram Meena and three passengers aboard the moving train near Palghar railway station on the outskirts of Mumbai in the early hours of Monday with his automatic weapon, officials had said. He was nabbed later.
Following media reports claiming that the constable suffered from "abnormal hallucinations" and was diagnosed with serious anxiety disorder, the ministry of railways in a statement said that the matter is being investigated by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Borivali.
"In this regard, it is stated that there is system of Periodical Medical Examination (PME) of Railway Protection Force constables, and in the last PME, no such medical ailment/ condition was detected," it said.
In the evening, the statement was withdrawn.
"The press release has been withdrawn," a railway spokesperson said, without elaborating.
On July 31, around 5.23 am, on duty, RPF train escort staff Constable Chetan Singh shot his in-charge ASI Meena using his service ARM rifle (AK-47) while he was performing duty in the B-5 coach of the Jaipur-Mumbai Express at Vaitarna railway station, the railways said.
He also shot dead three passengers.
Singh was apprehended by officers and staff of RPF Post, Bhayandar, and handed over to the local police in Borivali for further legal action.
A high-level committee headed by an ADG of the RPF has been constituted to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.
