MUMBAI: The Government Railway Police (GRP) on Sunday arrested a 27-year-old daily wage labourer in connection with the fatal stabbing of a professor at a crowded railway station in Mumbai within 12 hours of the crime, officials said.
A 33-year-old junior college professor was stabbed to death inside a Mumbai suburban local train on Saturday evening following a verbal altercation over alighting at a crowded station, police said. The incident occurred around 6 pm on a Borivali–Churchgate-bound slow local train as it was entering Malad station in the western suburbs. Accused Omkar Shinde (27), who works in Kurar, has no prior criminal record, officials said.
The victim, Alok Kumar Singh, was a mathematics professor at Narsee Monjee Commerce and Economics College, a junior college located in suburban Mumbai. Police said Singh sustained a single deep stab injury to the abdomen, which proved fatal.
According to officials, Singh had boarded the local train from Vile Parle station along with a college colleague. As the train slowed down at Malad, Singh, a resident of the area, attempted to get off. At that point, a verbal argument broke out between him and co-passenger Shinde over space and movement near the train door.
“Shinde wanted to leave the train quickly as he was heading home to celebrate his wife’s birthday. The argument escalated inside the crowded second-class compartment. After both men got down on the platform, Shinde allegedly pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed Singh on the right side of his stomach, before fleeing the spot,” police said.
The attack took place on platform number one at Malad station. Singh collapsed soon after the assault and was rushed to Shatabdi Hospital, from where he was shifted to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Borivali. Doctors declared him dead on arrival, citing a six-inch-deep abdominal wound. Police later informed Singh’s family and his wife.
Using CCTV footage from the station premises and other technical inputs, GRP officials identified the accused. The footage showed a man wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, appearing panicked and running across the foot-over bridge at Malad station shortly after the stabbing.
Shinde was arrested shortly after on the basis of technical surveillance and confidential information, police said. A case has been registered against him under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Singh hailed from Uttar Pradesh but had completed his education in Mumbai. He held a BSc and MSc in Mathematics from Mumbai University and had been teaching mathematics and statistics at the junior college since 2024. He had married around two years ago, and his wife is currently preparing for a B.Ed degree, aspiring to enter the teaching profession, officials said.
Family members said Singh was a soft-spoken and calm individual, who never got angry and his killing has left them devastated. His father, Sunil Singh, previously worked with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while his uncle was a teacher at a BMC-run school, they said.
College colleagues described Singh as dedicated and good-natured, saying it was difficult to believe he could be involved in a violent confrontation.
While arguments and occasional scuffles among commuters are not uncommon in Mumbai’s heavily congested local train network, officials said the fatal stabbing marks a disturbing escalation.
In July last year, a video emerged on social media, showing a fist fight between two women after one of them allegedly hit the other one with her elbow in an attempt to board the train first.
How matter escalated
Alok Kumar Singh had boarded the local train from Vile Parle station. As the train slowed down at Malad, Singh, a resident of the area, attempted to get off. At that point, a verbal argument broke out between him and co-passenger Omkar Shinde over space and movement near the train door. After both men got down, Shinde stabbed Singh