Expressing concern over the recurring incidents of attacks on women passengers and frequent robbery attempts in trains, the Confederation of All India Rail Users Association (CAIRUA) has called upon the Ministry of Railways to seriously consider the appointment of more women personnel in the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police.
The confederation that recently held a meeting of its regional leaders in Kozhikode pointed out that weak patrolling, because of poor staff strength, was seriously hitting safety measures in trains.
A main request put forth by the organisation was the installation of closed circuit television cameras in all compartments so that the passengers would feel more secure. Demand was also placed to link such cameras with the engine and the guard rooms for close monitoring round the clock.
“Installation of security cameras in trains is a long pending demand which has not been taken up by Railways,” said the confederation functionaries led by its working chairman and State president C.E. Chakkunni. Similar measures had been proposed earlier for fortifying security measures, but Railway authorities’ response was unsatisfactory.
Requests to display emergency helpline numbers in compartments were ignored. According to the confederation functionaries, Railways and the police were accountable for the negligence. The confederation came up with their demands in the wake of the arrest of three persons who attacked a 16-year-old girl while she was travelling with her father on the Ernakulam-Guruvayur Express special train on June 25.
According to police sources, the girl and her father were attacked by a gang of five men who managed to escape from the train after the incident. The gang turned violent when the father questioned the misbehaviour of a gang member towards his daughter, they said.
