With no standard guidelines till now for providing security to transportation of arms and ammunition by train and road, the Ministry of Railways has rolled out Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure the safety of such sensitive consignments and their escort personnel.
During a review of the cases seeking the deployment of armed manpower from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) to escort consignments of arms and ammunition, it was found that there were no standard guidelines for providing security.
“Arms and ammunition of security forces have always been an attraction for the anti-national and anti-social elements to give shape to their nefarious activities. This makes arms and ammunition as well as the security personnel [RPF/RPSF in this case] susceptible to attack by the anti-national/criminal elements during transit… ln prevailing security scenario, it is important to provide foolproof security to arms and ammunition,” Director-General, RPF, Sanjay Chander, said in a note to all Principal Chief Security Commissioners of the force across Indian Railways.
To protect arms, ammunition and other explosives and prevent these items from falling in the hands of undesirable and unscrupulous elements, it was extremely essential that an appropriate component of armed escort with adequate number of personnel be provided during transit of the consignments, he said.
Mr. Chander said necessary care had to be exercised during transport of arms and ammunition by the officers and jawans of RPF/RPSF as loss/snatching of the same would not only cause loss of life/injury to force personnel during the incident, but these arms and ammunition could also become potential danger in case they landed in the hands of anti-social and insurgent elements. Such incidents would also result in the loss of image of the RPF.
Adequately armed security escort personnel drawn from the RPF/RPSF should be deployed taking into account the prevailing security scenario in the route of the transportation of arms and ammunition. Senior officers should conduct a vulnerability analysis by considering all aspects of possible threats.
“The threat avoidance and countering the same, extent of vulnerability, level of security required, quantity of arms and ammunition being transported, method of dispatch [rail, road etc.], Law & Order situation in stations/region, legacy issues regarding security in the area through which the train or vehicles passes etc., may be the key determinants for deployment of escort,” Mr. Chander said.
All communication on the deployment of manpower and movement of the consignment should be done through confidential/secret correspondence. In the event of derailment/accident along vulnerable sections, the escort team should be extremely cautious as there could be a possibility of such an incident taking place due to subversive activity by left-wing extremists or anti-social elements.
“It should be the endeavour of the escort party to ensure security of the Arms and Ammunition despite the odd situation arising out of derailment, etc., and contribute if required towards the rescue and relief efforts after rational analysis of the situation, so prevailing, at the site,” the DG, RPF, said. The SOP gave detailed guidelines on other aspects of security arrangements and steps to be taken in the event of an emergency while transporting arms and ammunition by rail and road.
