Indian Railways is facing several incidents of stone pelting on trains. According to the Railways, in 2022, over 1,500 incidents of stone pelting in running trains were recorded across the country and over 400 people were arrested for the offence. Stone pelting has also damaged Vande Bharat trains, with the most recent incident taking place in West Bengal. Stone pelters attacked the New Jalpaiguri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express as soon as it started.
Earlier this month, stones were pelted at the coaches of Vande Bharat train at Visakhapatnam railway station in Kancharapalem area. Many glasses of the train were broken.
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“During the year, 1,503 cases of stone pelting on running trains were registered by RPF, following which 488 persons were arrested. Several awareness campaigns are being conducted by RPF using various mediums to educate the residents near railway tracks. In this drive, more than 100 people carrying inflammable/firecrackers in more trains were also arrested.”
While incidents of stone pelting on other trains are largely unreported, cases of stone pelting on the indigenously built Vande Bharat have received wide publicity.
In fact, as soon as the first such train was launched, it was pelted with stones in Tundla, Uttar Pradesh. It also faced stone-pelting near Sadar here, during which the window glass of a coach was damaged when it reached New Delhi railway station to begin its trial run from Delhi’s Sakurbasti to Allahabad. Similarly, on December 20, 2018, during another trial run between Delhi and Agra, stones were pelted at the train in Mathura district.
The RPF has also been roped in by the railways to counsel locals, and the force has tried to distribute chocolates and gifts to slum-dwelling children to stop them from throwing stones at the semi-high-speed train .
The RPF has rescued over 17,500 children from rail premises and 559 people from traffickers so far this year, the national transporter said in a statement on Wednesday, highlighting the successes of its operations against crime in its premises. It said that under Operation Nanhe Fariste, the RPF identifies and rescues children in need of care and protection who are lost or separated from their families. Identifies and rescues those who are lost or separated from their families due to various reasons.
In December 2021, the Ministry of Railways issued a revised standard operating procedure for better care and protection of children in danger in contact with the railways, to be implemented in 2022.
As per the SOP, children help desks are currently functioning at 143 railway stations. During the year, 17,756 such children were rescued by RPF personnel.
The force has launched a campaign against human trafficking named “Operation AAHT”. In order to have an effective mechanism to stop the attempts of human traffickers, the anti-human trafficking units of RPF were made operational at post level (station level) at more than 740 locations of Indian Railways.
During the year, 559 persons were rescued from the clutches of smugglers and 194 smugglers were arrested. The force also saved the lives of 852 passengers who slipped while boarding the trains.
RPF also handed over 5,749 offenders involved in various passenger related offenses under IPC to GRP/Police. This included 82 drug addicts, 30 dacoits, 380 robbers, 2,628 thieves, 1,016 chain snatchers and 93 people involved in crimes against women.
Under Operation Dignity, RPF rescued around 3,400 adults, including women, in need of care and protection who come in contact with the Railways, such as abandoned, drug addicts, destitute, abducted, left behind, missing and who need medical help. Under Operation Matrushakti, women personnel of RPF facilitated 209 child births on trains last year.
with PTI inputs