Shivram Sharma, the RPF head constable who shot dead his colleague Uddal Singh with his service rifle apparently without any provocation might be faking mental instability by claiming that he was ‘commanded to kill’ by a supernatural force, say investigators.

Sharma (45), a head constable with the Railway Protection Force (RPF), was arrested two weeks ago after he walked into the barracks’ mess at Bandra and shot his colleague Uddal Singh (52). Sharma, who was on day duty that day, turned up in uniform and shot at Singh five times with his service rifle, killing him on the spot. After the murder, Sharma had calmly surrendered his weapon and allowed the authorities to apprehend him.

However, an apparently open and shut case took an unexpected twist after Sharma told the officials from the Nirmal Nagar police that he had been ‘commanded to kill’ by supernatural forces. An official from the police station had said then, “Apart from the motive, the entire case is solid as we have recovered the weapon and arrested the accused who did not even try to escape or evade arrest. The loose thread in the case is the motive. There is no record of any animosity between the accused and the deceased. The accused is making illogical statements like supernatural influences.”

Last week, Sharma was subjected to medical tests at JJ Hospital, KEM and VN Desai Hospital and police sources claim that doctors have found him mentally stable. An investigator with the Nirmal Nagar police said, requesting anonymity, “The doctors have orally admitted that Sharma is mentally stable. We are awaiting the official medical reports due to be handed over to us on Thursday after which we can seek his further custody.” At present, Sharma is at Bhabha Hospital in Bandra where he was admitted after he complained of vomiting and headaches. DCP Nisar Tamboli (Zone 8) neither confirmed nor denied the tests and the results.