Title - Rail roko: Railway police step up vigil

Aerial patrolling planned to prevent untoward incidents

Additional Director-General of Police (Railways) Bhupathi Babu is monitoring the samaikyandhra agitation from the security point of view in the South Central Railway (SCR), Vijayawada and Guntur Divisions, and Waltair Division of East Coast Railway, to prevent any damage to Railway properties or disruption in train services.In the wake of the proposed ‘rail roko’ on August 11 (Sunday) as per the call given by supporters of samaikyandhra movement, the Additional DG, who camped at Vijayawada, reviewed the security personnel deployment on Saturday in sensitive areas and at important railway stations from Itchapuram in Srikakulam district to Tada in Nellore district. Three officers of Superintendent of Police rank will monitor the situation on Sunday. Security forces of the CRPF, RPF, Government Railway Police GRP, and civil police were deployed at stations.

Police are also planning to keep a vigil on tracks through aerial patrolling to prevent any untoward incidents.

Section144

Section 144 has been imposed at all the stations. Instructions have been issued to the police to deal sternly with trespassers. “Video cameras have been arranged to identify the agitators who resort to arson or try to disrupt train services,” said RPF Senior Divisional Security Commissioner Ramesh Chandra.

Police will invoke provisions of the Indian Railways Act against protestors, besides invoking IPC sections, said Vijayawada Division GR Superintendent of Police Ch. Syam Prasad Rao.