Last train home

The Indian Railways has to go a long way before it can safeguard the security of life and property in its jurisdiction

Sandeep Yadav

Mohammad Atiq can never forget the dreadful experience he had at the Saharanpur railway station. A sanitary businessman from Muzzafarnagar, he was on his way back home after recovering the payment of Rs 12,000 from his clients in Jagadri, Haryana. As the train reached Saharanpur, Atiq’s bogey was host to a Sub-inspector from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) accompanied by two constables and two Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs). They were uniformed, inebriated and began to sexually harass women passengers in the coach. Atiq’s civic protests earned him the honour of being manhandled by the officials and left divested of his cash. To set an example, a fabricated case was lodged against him under Section 146 of the Railway Act.

This is not only what visits the budget traveller unprotected by status and class. Recently, senior officials of the North-Eastern Railway were held at the gun-point by the Government Railway Police (GRP) at the Gonda junction. On receiving complaints of robbery and loot in the trains of this route a 13-member team led by Senior Commandant AK Sinha and Deputy Commercial Manager (DCM) Shishir Somvanshi was dispatched to Gonda. To their horror the team discovered that the extortionists on the Jansewa Express were in fact the GRP men. When confronted the GRP personnel not only had the gumption to bash up a RPF men (accompanying the railway team) but also pointed rifles at the Commandant threatening him of the dire consequences. Speaking to Hardnews Somvanshi confessed that the situation took them completely off guard. “Who would have thought that the Government Railway Police would be indulging in this sort of thing? And then when we accosted these fellows they held rifles to our heads. Had we not handled the situation tactfully there could have been many casualties,” said Somvanshi. Four GRP personnel were suspended in the fiasco.

 Apart from such acts of offence by the two forces responsible for railway security, there is a serious lack of coordination between the two organisations leaving ample room for crime play. The problem begins with the laws. According to Entry No. 2 of the State list of the Constitution of India, “Police” (including the Railways and Village Police), is a State subject and thus the State is responsible for the law and order and not the Railways which is a Union subject. “The State Police have a separate wing called the GRP for dealing with all matters relating to law and order on the Railways. Prevention and detection of crime is the constitutional responsibility of the State government, and as such, Ministry of Railways have to depend largely on them for control of crime in the Railways areas,” explained R Velu, Minister of State for Railways. But the question that arises is that if maintenance of law and order is the responsibility of the State, why is the Railway Minister held responsible for it? Should not the Home Minister be responsible for any criminal offence on the rails and be answerable to the Parliament? After all law and order is under the Union list and hence the responsibility of the Home Ministry.