By IANS,
Kolkata : In the wake of a spurt in cases of drugging on trains, a high-level meeting Friday decided on enhanced coordination between the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) to tackle the menace, officials said.
The meeting felt that a major problem was that the crimes happen in one zone and are reported in another.
“To do away with all the encumbrances that come due to various zones, we discussed ways to increase coordination between the forces to tackle the menace,” said R.P. Sahu, Inspector General of RPF, Eastern Railway (ER), after a meeting of GRP and RPF officers from all railway zones.
“Till June 2011, 567 cases of drugging have been reported across the country, in which 45 cases are from West Bengal. Three people have died in the state in such cases of drugging. We have so far arrested 26 culprits,” he said.
Sahu said the forces have been emphasising on the use of “anthropological photo identity portrait building kit” so that the sketches of the offenders are available and can be circulated across the zones.
He also said that awareness needed to be spread among the passengers about druggers so that they do not fall into their trap.
On the occasion of the Independence Day, elaborate security measures will be taken.
“Sufficient forces equipped with modern and sophisticated gadgets would be deployed along with sniffer dogs for the occasion. Armed escorts would be provided on all important trains, including late night and early morning local trains,” said Sahu.
He also ruled out any terror threat on the occasion of the Independence Day.
“As of now we do not have any specific terror threat. But we are on our guards. Plainclothes officers are keeping round the clock vigil. The number of closed circuit TVs (CCTVs) would also be increased in both Howrah and Sealdah stations.”
Apart from CCTVs, various modern gadgets like baggage X-ray machines, night vision goggles, mine detectors, bomb suits have been procured under the integrated security scheme, said Sahu.