Recent incidents targeting trains in motion have sparked concerns regarding security measures at railway stations and onboard trains, as well as the safety of passengers. In a recent event, unidentified individuals fatally stabbed a housekeeping staff member and assaulted a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) in a reserved coach of the Puducherry-Dadar Express at Khanapur.
Anjali’s former partner, Girish Savant, also known as Vishwa, stabbed a female passenger on a train at Mayakonda station. Additionally, a response from the Government Railway Police, obtained through the RTI Act, disclosed that five homicides occurred in railway areas and on trains during January and February of this year.
Rohit Jain, secretary of the SWR passenger committee, observed that security standards in SWR have significantly deteriorated. He mentioned that SWR had been the first in the country to introduce the ‘SWR security app’ in June 2016. However, the app became inactive within six months and has since been disregarded by SWR itself. He emphasized that passengers or staff should not be vulnerable to miscreants and suggested that SWR deploy its RPF staff for passenger protection instead of officers. He expressed concern that if SWR continues in the same manner, miscreants might escalate to the point of halting trains and harming loco pilots.
On the contrary, the superintendent of police, Railways, Bengaluru, mentioned in a response dated April 29 that a total of five murders occurred within Railway Police jurisdiction in January and February. Anand Katti and Nazeer Makandar, SWR zonal office bearers of the Indian Railways Ticket Checking Staff Organisation (IRTCSO), informed TOI that travelling ticket examiners (TTE) lack security personnel. They emphasized their ongoing request for at least one security staff member to be assigned to each train.
Leelabai Kulkarni, a senior citizen from Koppal, recounted her experience of boarding the Kolhapur-Tirupati train at Dharwad on April 7. She mentioned that upon entering the ladies’ coach, a man trailed them. When they informed the train manager about the situation, he advised them to handle the matter themselves. Subsequently, her grandson approached the station manager to lodge a complaint, and after a prolonged discussion, they were provided with a complaint book. However, they have yet to receive any response from SWR. Manjunath Kanamadi, chief PR officer at SWR, Hubballi, asserted that the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is actively engaged in ensuring the safety of both passengers and staff. He also mentioned the implementation of special checks for enhanced security measures.
