RailEnquiry

KOLKATA: A general alert was sounded in the districts of Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore as well as places close to Bengal's borders with boundaries with the states of Odisha and Jharkhand after the Maoist attack on a train in Bihar's Jamui on Thursday. Though no trains were rescheduled or cancelled, both ER and SER enhanced security on trains and along tracks in Jangalmahal, Bengal-Odisha and border and around Asansol, which is close to the Bengal-Jharkhand border."Security will be tightened both at stations and along the tracks.We shall increase patrolling by pilot engines along vulnerable stretches. However, there has been no decision to divert, reschedule or cancel any trains.We are going through security updates and there is no specific threat in Jangalmahal at the moment. However,all measures will be taken to ensure the security of passengers," an SER official said.State director general of police Naparajit Mukherjee said: that security will be tightened along the state's boundaries. Asansol and neighbouring areas will also be kept under watch.

"We are in touch with the Railway Board. India Reserve Battalion personnel from Nagaland, with specialized training, have been sent to strategic locations along the state's boundaries The DMs and SPs have been directed to report back to the state secretariat regularly."

An ER official said that all trains moving through the Asansol Division are being provided with escorts. Security at stations has also been enhanced while intelligence inputs are being scanned to pre-empt a similar strike closer to Bengal. A section of officials in Kolkata, however, maintained that there were specific intelligence inputs that the Maoists are planning a strike on a train."Security was already tightened on important trains like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi Expresses. As soon as we received the intelligence inputs about possible attacks, all care was taken to ensure that trains don't come to any harm while passing through vulnerable areas. There were regular meetings with the state governments of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. There was clearly some lapse on the part of the Bihar government. There should have been information about the movement of Maoists, particularly in broad daylight. State security and intelligence agencies were clearly caught napping. The attack took place in a Maoist-affected area and the state government should have been aware of any movement. Railwaymen lost their lives due to this lapse. Though the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) jawans fought back, they were outgunned and outnumbered by the rebels," a senior railway official said.