After robberies, Rly to boost security on night trains

NEW DELHI: Indian Railways are likely to withdraw its armed guards from some of the Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains and deploy them on trains passing through sensitive zones during night time, according to a top official.

The move comes following a spate of train robberies earlier this month. On January 10, robbers struck the Delhi-Bhagalpur Express in a Naxal-affected area in West Bengal’s Malda district and looted valuables. This was followed by a similar incident on January 17 when an armed gang tampered with the signal, forcing the driver to stop the JammuDelhi Duranto Express and looted the passengers.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF), an armed force entrusted with protecting passengers and railway properties, plans to scale down security on some Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains and deploy more personnel on night trains passing through sensitive zones, said RPF officials.

“The crimes that are committed in running trains are usually dealt by state railway police but Railway Protection Force has actively started helping the local police. We keep on doing analysis and change the escorting pattern accordingly. We emphasise on night trains. We are already providing security to Shatabdis and Rajdhanis but we want to break this pattern and keep a surprise element,” said Arun Kumar, director general of RPF.

Currently, RPF provides security to 2,500 trains while the Government Railway Police (GRP) — a wing of state police — escorts about 2,200 trains.

An RPF escort team comprises four armed personnel. A total of 81, 298 cases of murder, dacoity, robbery and theft were reported against passengers in trains in 2018. The corresponding figure in 2017 was 71,055. “Shortage of staff is a matter of concern and because of that providing security to every train is not possible. We are trying to increase the number of trains where escorts will be provided by removing staff from clerical duty. CCTV cameras in coaches will help us in investigation and crime detection,” Kumar added. Although the RPF has a sanctioned strength of 74,456 personnel, it is managing with 67,000 employees, a majority of whom are posted at its police stations across the country.