Siliguri, April 22: Identification of bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ways to defuse them have been included in this year’s annual sensitisation workshop for Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel in north Bengal.

In the wake of the recent blasts at Champasari and the recovery of several kilograms of explosives from three sites, the force’s Siliguri division has included new subjects in the four-day workshop, which began today at the office of the superintendent of the GRP.

The other new topics include sensitisation on trafficking, new laws and amendments, crimes against women, how to interrogate criminals, detection of frauds relating to railway tickets and safety of passengers.

“The aim is to make the GRP personnel aware of their duties. Specialists in different subjects will explain to the police what they should do and what they should not when they are performing their duties,” said Rabindramoni Gurung, the deputy superintendent of the GRP’s Siliguri division.

Besides 20 GRP personnel, representatives of different NGOs are also taking part in the workshop.

The Siliguri division currently guards about 1,200km of tracks from Farakka in Malda to the Sankosh on the Assam-Bengal border.