Man Remanded in Custody for Fatal Attack on Disabled Commuter in Mumbai Train

An eyewitness has revealed that co-passengers attempted to intervene and de-escalate a dispute over seating before 63-year-old Cajetan Pires was pushed to his death from a moving Borivli-bound local train at Mahim on Thursday.

The accused, Amjad Shaikh, was produced before a railway magistrate court on Friday and remanded to police custody until August 27. A police investigation revealed that Shaikh was travelling illegally without a ticket in the Divyangjan compartment, having boarded the train at Lower Parel.

Pires, who had an amputated left leg, had boarded the dedicated coach for persons with disabilities at Mahim station. According to his sister, Maria, he had requested Shaikh to vacate the seat so that he could keep his walking stick next to him for support.

Shaikh refused to move and behaved rudely, triggering an argument inside the coach. Although fellow passengers stepped in and offered their own seats to resolve the confrontation, Shaikh remained unyielding before the fatal incident occurred.

Pires' family subsequently met the eyewitness to learn the exact sequence of what transpired in the compartment. Police investigators have recorded the statements of two witnesses so far and continue to piece together the events leading to the murder.