South Central Railway (SCR)’s Railway Protection Force (RPF) has identified, filed cases, arrested and sent 39 offenders to jail for indulging in pelting stones at trains, causing five passengers to be seriously injured.
SCR General Manager Arun Kumar Jain informed on Tuesday that stone pelting on trains is a serious offence and stringent action will be taken against perpetrators under the Railways Act. The offence is punishable with imprisonment which may extend up to five years.
The RPF had identified sections between Kazipet-Khammam, Kazipet-Bhongir and Eluru-Rajahmundry as the regions where stone pelting has been recorded. Vande Bharat trains are being targeted by miscreants since January which has led to damage of public property and also rescheduling of trains, causing inconvenience to passengers, he said.
Mr. Jain said 10 persons, including six juveniles aged between 6 and 17 years, were apprehended for pelting stone at the Vande Bharat trains. Appealing to citizens to refrain from such criminal acts, he urged parents, teachers, and elders to counsel, educate and guide children to desist from such activities.
Awareness campaigns in coordination with sarpanches of villages near the tracks by making them ‘village mitras’ are being undertaken even while additional staff have been deployed in all stone-pelting ‘black spots’ or potential spots. He also requested the public to dial ‘139’ to provide any information for immediate action by RPF, said a press release.
