India News | In Drive Against Stone-pelting on Running Trains, RPF Arrests 84, Apprehends 2773 for Trespassing

New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Concerned over a sudden surge in incidents of stone-pelting on running trains, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) conducted a special drive last month, arresting 84 people for the offence and apprehending hundreds of trespassers.

In a statement, the Railways said the RPF organised several public awareness drives on the issue by working closely with local authorities and village administration such as Gram Panchayats and their representatives, schools, settlements along the track, and colleges.

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Notices and pamphlets were published in newspapers, and leaflets were distributed among the public to raise awareness on this issue, it said.

"The RPF observed a sudden surge in incidents of stone-pelting on running trains, which posed a serious threat to the safety and security of travelling passengers.

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"In addition, the RPF took several other measures, such as supplementing deployment at black spots, train escorting, and a drive against trespassers, leading to the apprehension of 2,773 individuals under the provisions of the Railways Act," it said.

In the recent past, premium Vande Bharat trains have copped several such incidents with almost all new trainset being targeted by stone-pelters within days of its launch. These incidents have been reported from Delhi, West Bengal, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Bihar among others.

Recently the South Central Railway said in a press release that stone-pelting on trains is a criminal offence. It added that stringent action will be taken against the perpetrators under Section 153 of the Railways Act, which is punishable with imprisonment extending up to five years.

The RPF also said special coordination meetings were organised with police, intelligence agencies, and other law enforcement agencies, resulting in the arrest of 84 people for committing this offence.

During the drive, RPF personnel conducted regular inspections at railway stations, reservation counters and online content to detect and apprehend unauthorized ticket booking agents.

RPF personnel also educated the public on the dangers of booking tickets through unauthorised agents and encouraged them to use legitimate means to purchase tickets.

As a result of these efforts, the RPF disrupted more than 42 illegal softwares with the arrest of 955 touts, developers, super sellers, sellers, and retailers of such illegal softwares, the statement said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)