Security Derailed

 

 

When Railway Minister Lalu Prasad entered the corridors of Parliament, ambling across carrying a brown briefcase in his hand, he obviously had much more in his mind than just the security of his trains. After all, he had to maintain his image of being a poor man’s messiah and also of ensuring that he quotes figures, that are politically – or should we say, ‘vote bankingly’ – correct, and those that might enable him to lecture students of the Harvard University. Giving due credit to his shrewd political persona, the suave Lalu made appropriately correct budgetary grunts while presenting the Railway Budget, perchance a trite thankful that the din and uproar that opposition benches were creating while he eulogized his own past performances, was more due to an Italian businessman’s TRP ratings coming up again on India’s news channels, than due to the 68 oh-so-common lives that had been snuffed out just a week ago in the Samjhauta Express bombings.



TRUTH ‘LIES’, IRONICALLY, IN NUMBERS



The Pulse Line

Total trains-9,500 including 4,500 long distance trains

Passengers- 1.5 crore travel everyday

Track length- 63,465 kms

Total no. of stations- 7,130

Sensitive stations-178



Fingers Over It

Total RPF strength- 66,700

Hand held metal detectors- 1,200

Door frame metal detectors- 140

Bomb detection and disposal Squad- 2

Stations with cctv cameras- 41

Total no. of dogs- 190 Sniffer dogs- 90



But Lalu speaks when Lalu wants, din or no din! And he spoke intelligently, carrying on the brilliant legacy of his past achievements. But to lip service effect, he also spoke about security at railway stations. He spoke about how his ministry was mulling over installation of closed-circuit TVs and smart video cameras at sensitive stations. Additional trained dogs were to be put into service along with explosive detection devices and hand-held metal detectors, he said. So far, so good... Perhaps, he should also have mentioned brick and mortar. For just beyond the eight official entrances to the New Delhi railway station, there are many other ways to get inside; even holes in the ostensible boundary wall. So, if you are, by any chance, stopped at the official entrance – for, say, carrying inflammable objects – you could just walk a bit, seek the guidance of people living alongside the tracks and make your way to any train you wish to board. A TSI team did just that, choosing to take one of those not-so-secret entrances to reach the platform. We are not alone. There is a horde of men, women and children, carrying luggage in jute sacks, iron trunks, cheap suitcases, polythene bags – making its way to various platforms, unrestricted, unhindered. Ask the lone jawan of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and he quips, “I know all of them since they are railway employees.” What if instead of a harmless piece of luggage, a terrorist smuggles in explosives? A man, who is among the passengers, replies, “Sahab, dus saal se to mein aa jaa raha hun, kabhi kucch nahi hua (I have been taking this route for the past ten years but so far nothing has happened).” On spotting our photographer, the RPF jawan guarding the main entrance gets alert and starts checking peoples’ baggage more vigorously. It is evident that a single man cannot handle such a huge crowd. He acknowledges this, “Yesterday, I was at Gate number 1 and I could not even have my lunch. The crowd kept pouring in. Even after the day passed, I could not finish eating six bananas.”

The helplessness is quite reasonable considering the fact that there are a mere 67,000 RPF personnel to ensure the safety of 1.5 crore passengers daily, who travel in 9,500 trains everyday on 64,000 kilometres of railway track through more than 7,000 railway stations. The inadequate strength of the force is just one problem. A senior RPF officer told TSI that “the recommendation of recruiting 24,000 RPF personnel was sent years back and it is yet to see the light of the day.” The RPF personnel lack training and resources like weapons. “How can a lathi-yielding guard tackle a terrorist carrying an AK-47?” asks another officer. Agrees former RPF Director General, A. K. Suri, “There is an urgent need to enhance and empower the RPF. Only then will it be able to do its duty effectively.” Experts say that there is also an acute lack of motivation among the personnel of the RPF and the Government Railway Police (GRP), another agency dealing with railway security. Says Prakash Singh, former Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, “Only those officers are posted in the RPF and GRP who are found to be non-performing. These are considered to be punishment postings.” Expectedly, the situation is equally grim at other important stations. A bomb ripped through the Ahmedabad railway station in February last year, leaving 25 persons injured. After the blast, security was tightened. But senior railway officers admit that this is no fool-proof method to avoid terrorist strikes. “With a skeletal staff, it is impossible to keep an eye on 1.5 lakh passengers who commute everyday from the station,” says an official posted at the station. “There are many other ways to reach the platform directly,” says Prakash Jadhav, an inspector with the Railway Police. After the Samjhauta Express blasts, security was tightened at railway stations across the country. At the Mumbai Central railway station, Inspector Shivaji Shinde is on duty. After the security alert following the train blasts, additional RPF personnel have been pressed into service. A dog squad is also doing its bit. “Although it’s not possible to check each and every person, still we are extremely cautious and are keeping our eyes and ears open,” says Shinde. “But these are all temporary solutions,” mutters a passenger.

The priority of the Railway Ministry is best described by a senior official posted at the Rail Bhawan in New Delhi. “Nowadays, the only thing we are supposed to ensure is to show as much profit as possible. In this process, everything else is overlooked.” In 2004, certain amendments became effective in the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957 and the Railways Act, 1989; and the RPF was given the additional responsibility of providing general security on platforms and passenger areas. Since then, about 300 people have been killed in more than 175 attacks in terrorist attacks on railways. “Some stop-gap changes were made after the Mumbai train blasts also; but everything returned to usual within a fortnight. People are again creating temporary solutions after the Samjhauta bombing and will wait for next attack to take further action. This does not happen in other countries,” remarks the senior official.

That the security at stations and trains was pathetic was never beyond suspicion, but now with the Prime Minister’s Office stepping in by asking the Railway Ministry to come up with a new security paradigm for railway travel across India, would we see Lalu investing his corporation’s cash surpluses into securing fail-safe the lives of the non-SPG protected commoners? Hmm. . . The new script could well become, “Saved from a bomb, killed of diarrhoea drinking water in the train. . .” Oh, the ironies of living in India. . . This is how they do it in the united states



The Congressional Research Service Report, US, formed to look into security measures after the 9/11 bombings made the following recommendations:

Removing or hardening trash containers on boarding platforms that could be used to hide bombs

Increasing the presence of security officers

Using video surveillance in and around stations

Using bomb-sniffing dogs for random inspections of passengers and baggage

Encouraging riders to look for suspicious activity