Title - ​‘Crime on wheels is RPF’s responsibility’

MUMBAI: A day after American national Michelle Marks was attacked in a local train, state home department on Monday said that "crime on wheels" is the responsibility of the Railway Police Force (RPF) and not of the Government Railway Police (GRP). The incident has brought to the fore lack of coordination between the agencies. RPF is a security force under the railway ministry while GRP is a police organization under the state government.

"In 2004, the RPF Act was amended to empower the railway police," said a senior home department official. "In 2012, the state asked for GRP recruitment. In May this year, a reminder was sent but there was no response." The Centre reimburses 50% of a GRP personnel's salary to the state. The Central Railway has 657 vacant posts whereas Western Railway has 618 in RPF. There are 106 vacancies in GRP.

A senior western railway official rubbished the allegations. "Policing is a state responsibility. Instead of passing the buck, security agencies should have better coordination for safety," the WR official added. "There are 963 coaches that must be manned at night. GRP can deploy 362," said the home department official.

Meanwhile, home minister R R Patil called a meeting on security arrangements for commuters. "Immediately, 500 home guards will be deployed for security. The PSI batch, which will pass from the training academy by the end of this month, will be posted to fill the vacant GRP posts," Patil said after the meeting.

Who helped victim?

RPF and GRP are at loggerheads over which of the forces helped out Michelle Marks after she was mugged on Sunday. GRP officials had claimed that she was brought to the Mumbai Central station master's office by a group of commuters. "Though an RPF jawan was present, the station master made an announcement for GRP to take Marks to a hospital, as was the procedure. They wasted precious time while the victim lay bleeding," said senior inspector R V Trivedi. RPF officials, though, refuted the claim. "An RPF inspector had brought Marks to the station master's office in the first place. Both GRP and RPF personnel ferried Marks to Nair Hospital together and got her admitted," an RPF official said.