Last train home

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

Sandeep Yadav Delhi

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, a Sub-inspector from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) accompanied by two constables and two Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) all in uniforms, entered Atiq's compartment. They were inebriated and began to sexually harass women passengers in the coach. Atiq’s 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 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 later.

Apart from such acts of offence by the two forces responsible for railway security, there is a serious lack of coordination between these organisations leaving ample room for crime. 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 State subjet, why is the Railway Minister held responsible for it? Should not the Home Minister be accountable 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 is the obligation of the Home Ministry.

The GRP is a part of the State police and is responsible for the security of the passengers on the train. But the State police has a casual approach towards crime on trains as it is rarely discussed in the State assemblies. This is in spite of the fact that Indian Railways (IR) bears 50 per cent of the expenditure that the State government incurs on the GRP.

The RPF on the other hand is a paramilitary force under the Railway Ministry (all the other paramilitary forces, except the Coast Guard Services which fall under the Defence Ministry, come under the Home Ministry) and through it tries to supplement the efforts of the State governments in controlling crime on the railways. It is mainly responsible for the protection of railway property and freight. Thus, rail security hinges on the high-tension centre- State relations which are often very strained. The result is chaos. Even President Abdul Kalam has expressed concern at this bifurcation of responsibility. Recently while presenting colours to the RPF in New Delhi he remarked that “there is the need to remove the division of responsibility between the GRP and RPF” and to empower the RPF with the legal sanction to tackle all cognisable offences under the Indian Penal Code and all special Acts so that there would be a “single-point responsibility for tackling crimes against passengers”.

“As far as my division is concerned there is a very harmonious relation between the GRP and RPF and both the forces work in close coordination,” claimed Sanjay Kishore, Senior Divisional Security Officer (RPF) at the New Delhi railway station. When confronted with the question that policeman at the station has been known to arrange a ticket on commission basis. Sanjay is quick to defend his forces. “Most of the trains that enter Delhi are escorted by policemen from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (UP) and they are the ones who are notorious for most of the crimes committed by the man in uniform. We have lodged complaints against them with the State police, inquires are on and many have been punished,” clarified Kishore.

Such subtle differences between the organisations of the men in uniform are lost on ordinary travellers, for whom these are all policemen, and disrepute falls equally on all.

Crime on rails makes frightening reading . However the crime figures available for 2003-04 show that UP and Bihar are more prone to murder and attempt to murder on the trains. The States of Assam, Jharkhand, West Bengal (WB) and Bihar have high percentages for dacoity. Robberies on train are frequent in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP and WB. Trains passing through Bihar and WB have frequent incidents of kidnapping and abduction. The Railway Ministry is aware of all this mounting violence yet it has no strategy to counter it. In reply to the question in Parliament whether the ministry has set up a special task force to check the menace, unabashed Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said “No”.

Apart from the criminal activities, corruption is another area of concern for the railway minister. From ticket booking to catering on the train, from reservation in railway guest houses to the tendering of the rail contracts, no facet of railways is corruption free. Everything is available at a cost but this money does not go into the coffers of the railways. When the Rail Minister Yadav took over office two years ago he had insisted that making railways corruption free would be his top priority. He was very vociferous against the mafia bagging the rail contracts. When told that his predecessor Nitish Kumar had tried to rein the ring but has not succeeded, Lalu in his trademark style had claimed “Woh try kare thhe hum try nahi karenge. Danda mar ke dhanda kar dege” (He had tried but I will not try. We will hit them with batons and leave them cold). However two years down the line  Lalu Prasad Yadav is yet to find that elusive weapon.