(Top) A Sealdah station gate without a metal detector; (below) there are not enough policemen to check the luggage of passengers at crowded Howrah station. Pictures by Aranya Sen

February 18, 2007: Improvised explosive devices explode in two coaches of the Lahore-bound Samjhauta Express near Panipat in Haryana

November 20, 2006: A blast rips apart a compartment of the Haldibari-Siliguri passenger train at Belacoba station in Jalpaiguri district

July 11, 2006: Serial blasts kill and maim passengers on local trains across Mumbai

Railway stations and trains have always been soft targets for terrorists, the whirl of unorganised activity and the resultant chaos providing them the opportunity to hit and run. Metro visited Sealdah and Howrah, among the busiest stations in the country, for a survey of the security arrangements and caught the authorities napping.

Where: Sealdah station

What we saw: The station has over 15 entry and exit points that are used by 15 lakh-odd people on a weekday. Most of the gates in Sealdah have neither metal detectors nor security personnel despite railway minister Lalu Prasad announcing after the 7/11 blasts in Mumbai that all stations would have them in adequate numbers.

The metal detectors that have been placed in some gates do not work. Luggage is seldom checked because there are no security personnel to do so.

Officialspeak: “We are critically short of staff. We have only 50 people for the task of protecting railway property and passengers. Escorting trains is our responsibility, too, and we need at least 500 people to do our job well. We have the latest equipment like hand-held detectors but there is nobody to use them,” an officer of the Railway Protection Force said.

Publicspeak: “With Maoists being so active in the state, Sealdah station is obviously a potential target. A blast in the station could result in hundreds of casualties,” said Sarika Kejriwal, a passenger.

Where: Howrah station

What we saw: Most metal detectors in the new and the old complexes are defunct. People walk in with their luggage without being checked.

Officialspeak: “We are trying to do our best with the resources we have. Entry should be restricted to minimise the risk of a terrorist attack, and we need more manpower to beef up security,” a Railway Protection Force officer said.

Publicspeak: “Trains headed for Delhi are the most likely targets of anti-national elements. The railway minister should pay more attention to security,” a passenger said.

— Zeeshan Jawed