A sharpshooter keeps an eye on commuters at Sealdah station. Picture by Amit Datta

Jolted out of its complacency by the recent terror attacks in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has deployed sharpshooters at Sealdah station.

Members of the crack team, each of them armed with a 9mm carbine, stand or sit on elevated platforms at 10 locations across the station and keep vigil round the clock. Commuters might find them menacing, but Sealdah looks and feels a lot safer because of their presence.

“Their mere presence should make people think twice about sabotage or any such activity,” said K. Aruljothi, the senior security commissioner of the RPF.

The RPF has also increased the number of closed-circuit cameras in the station from 16 to 24, bolstered manpower, acquired more sniffer dogs and added sophisticated weapons to its arsenal.

Sealdah is among the busiest railway stations in the country, the average daily traffic being 15 lakh people. More than 600 suburban trains (Up and Down) and 50 long-distance ones ply to and from the station every day.

“The blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad and the bomb hoaxes in the city necessitated stricter surveillance, and that is exactly what we are ensuring. The spots where the sharpshooters have been deployed are all carefully selected. These are places from where they can keep an eye on the sea of people that keeps flitting in and out of the station,” Aruljothi said.

Security arrangements in Sealdah are divided into four sectors — South Section, North Gate, Main Gate and Prafulla Dwar — with a sub-inspector in charge of each.

Aruljothi said the number of personnel in every sector had been doubled from 20 to 40. “We have also brought in two more sniffer dogs and increased surveillance in the parking lot. Any car standing in the parking area for more than an hour is being checked.”

But another senior RPF officer said beefing up security only at the station wasn’t enough to combat terror. “It’s the intelligence inputs that are crucial. Traffic is very high and it is not possible to monitor the movements of every person who enters the station. We require more intelligence inputs. That will help us to take precautions.”