Narsee Monjee College teacher murder: How an argument over alighting from local train led to man’s killing

MUMBAI: A minor argument over getting off a local train turned fatal on Saturday evening when a junior college teacher was stabbed to death inside a Borivali-bound local train as it approached Malad railway station.The victim, Alok Kumar Singh (33), was travelling from Vile Parle to Malad when a dispute broke out with a co-passenger just before 6 pm over alighting from the crowded compartment. What began as a verbal exchange escalated suddenly into violence.“Everything happened suddenly. The accused stabbed him with a sharp object in the stomach, got off the train and escaped,” a police official said.Singh was rushed to Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivali, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. “The patient was brought dead around 6pm. He had knife injuries,” said a doctor at the hospital.Singh had been working as a junior college faculty member at Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics since 2024, teaching mathematics and statistics. A colleague described him as calm and non-confrontational. “He was a kind soul, calm and polite and never used to get involved in arguments or fights. In fact, he used to help in resolving fights. This is absolutely shocking for us,” the teacher said, adding that Singh had left college for home between 5.15 pm and 5.30 pm.Initially, the attacker was unidentified. Police said there were witnesses inside the train compartment who saw the accused and overheard the argument. “We have witnesses from the train compartment who saw the accused and overheard the argument. We are quizzing them and recording their statements. CCTV footage from Malad and previous railway stations is being scanned,” a police official said.Forensic experts later collected evidence from Malad station, and a canine squad was pressed into service. The Borivali Government Railway Police (GRP) registered a case of murder against an unknown person under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Singh lived in Malad East with his wife and had been married for only a few years. A relative expressed shock over the incident. “He was a simple person and we had never seen him get angry over anything. He got married only a couple of years ago and lived in Malad East with his wife. His father worked for BJP leader Rajnath Singh jn Delhi. His uncle was also a teacher. We are aghast at what has happened and want police to track down the culprit at the earliest.”Local BJP leaders visited the hospital late on Saturday night as the family struggled to come to terms with how a routine commute ended in tragedy.On Sunday, the GRP arrested Omkar Shinde in connection with the murder. Police said further inquiries are underway to determine the sequence of events and the weapon used in the attack. Investigators confirmed that Singh sustained a single deep stab injury to the abdomen.