‘RPF committed to passenger safety and curbing use of railways as crime conduit’

March 28, 2024 11 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 28

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) is committed to enhancing passenger safety and preventing the use of the railways as a conduit for transporting contrabands and human trafficking, according to the chief of the RPF’s Lumding Division, North East Frontier Railways (NFR).

Uday Singh Pawar, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, RPF, Lumding Division, highlighted three offences commonly encountered by the railways — drugging, theft of passenger belongings and stone pelting on trains, besides drug and human trafficking — at a press conference in the Dimapur railway station on March 27.

Crime in general, on railway property and trains, is said to be on the lower side in the Dimapur segment relative to other places. However, he said that there are areas where preventive measures can be improved upon. Citing public awareness as crucial to improving security and safety, he said that the NFR and RPF are regularly conducting awareness campaigns in this regard. One example could be avoiding leaving mobile phones charging while sleeping.

“Stone pelting may appear trivial but it leads to grievous injury of passengers,” he said, while adding that there have been incidents in recent weeks, wherein arrests have also been made. Mostly people in inebriated state, and occasionally juveniles, by the rail tracks have been noted to indulge in pelting projectiles on moving trains purportedly for fun.

As per the records, he informed that the Dimapur-Furkating segment has received the most complaints with regard to stone-pelting.

Contraband Catch

Year	Contraband Catch & Arrests
2021	Ganja: 106.5 kg, 12 incidents, 3 arrested Foreign Cigarette: 2 incidents, 2 arrested Liquor: 1 incident, 1 arrested
2022	Ganja: 427.79 kg, 25 incidents, 4 arrested Foreign cigarette: 2 incidents, 1 arrested Brown Sugar: 5 incidents, 4 arrested Poppy seed: 150 kgs, 1 incident
2023	Ganja: 141.3 kg, 9 incidents Foreign cigarette: 1 incident Brown Sugar: 7 incidents, 2 arrested Liquor: 20 bottles, 1 arrested
2024 till February	Brown sugar: 240 gm, 2 incidents

Source: RPF Post, Dimapur

The Dimapur RPF Post recorded 11 such incidents and 14 arrests in 2023. In 2024 till February, 7 cases were reported with as many arrested.

While calling for vigilance against criminals using sedative drugs for looting passengers, he informed that on March 26, RPF personnel arrested person in possession of suspected sedatives at the Dimapur railway station. The arrest was affected during crime surveillance sortie.

The RPF personnel further recovered biscuits and cold drink from the arrested person, identified as one Ajul Hoque alias Babul Ali (25 years) of Morigaon, Assam. He reportedly told during interrogation that he tried to befriend and drug one passenger.

He was said to be a history-sheeter, with a previous arrest record in the Railway Police Station, Dimapur dating to 2016. Recently, in October 2023, he was apprehended by the RPF Crime Prevention and Detection Squad, Lumding, on charges of thieving passenger belongings.

As far as checking human/child trafficking was concerned, he said that the RPF Post, Dimapur, has rescued 89 children and handed them over to the care of Childline Dimapur from 2021 till February 2024.

He added that vigilance against drug and other contraband trafficking continues with the Dimapur RPF Post affecting several arrests and catches over the past three years. (See table: Contraband Catch)

He further cited measures introduced by the Indian Railways for passenger safety like the integrated helpline number— 139, via which any passenger can register complaints and the RailMadad portal/app for “Inquiry, Assistance & Grievance Redressal.” Another initiative known as Meri Saheli has introduced all-women RPF teams to check on the safety of women passengers, especially those travelling alone.

The RPF has dedicated anti-human trafficking teams set up in each of its posts, he added.