Title - Miscreants have a free run at stations, on trains

Goons allegedly assaulting women passengers on the Pune-Solapur Intercity Express last week has once again brought to fore the issue of lack of security on express and local trains, besides the station premises of the Pune division of the railways.Commuter organisations point out that despite several untoward incidents reported in the past, the railway administration has failed to provide security to passengers, in some instances to its own staff. The glaring lack of security was highlighted by an incident on May 17 when a stationmaster working with Pimpri Railway Station was beaten up by a couple of anti-social elements in his own cabin. Another stationmaster with Pune station lost his own wallet to pickpockets when he travelled by train last month, sources revealed. Lack of security has also given a free run to criminals on the station premises. Two months back, a little girl was kidnapped from a Pune station platform.Regular commuters and representatives of commuter groups blame the Government Railway Police (GRP), the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the overall administration of Pune Division of the Central Railway (CR) for lack of security.“The GRP has failed to meet its basic duty of providing protection to passengers and their belongings on trains and at stations. Numerous incidents at the station go unreported. Thieves, goons and pickpockets do not seem to have any fear of police, as many a time they are believed to be hand-in-glove with policemen. The current state of affairs is such that it is best to advise passengers to remain alert and take care of their belongings themselves as depending on GRP will go in vain,” said Harsha Shah, president of the Railway Pravasi Group.According to sources at Pune Division of CR, the security scenario had taken a turn for the worse owing to severe shortage of GRP and RPF staff.“GRP men should be present on trains at night. This leaves few personnel at the station that could result in incidents like that on May 17, when a stationmaster was beaten up,” said an official requesting anonymity.But according to passengers, staff shortage aside, the railway police and the railway administration not nabbing miscreants has emboldened them resulting in a spurt in such incidents.“Presence of policemen on trains is hardly a deterrent for miscreants. I have seen commuters catching a pickpocket and handing them over to police, but they just let him go. It would appear they may be taking a cut from the thieves,” alleged Ratnakar Gangarde, a regular Pune-Mumbai passenger.According to commuters, Pune station is particularly vulnerable to illegal activities because of multiple, unguarded entry points providing easy access and exits for criminals.“Around 260 trains pass through Pune station everyday and thousands of passengers use the station. Lack of security is dangerous for them. The station is in fact like a Dharamshala where anybody can come and reside for free,” said Shah.