Chakulia station: Soft target

Jamshedpur, May 24: The railway police today declared five stations between Tatanagar and Jhargram in the Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway (SER) as sensitive.

The stations are Chakulia, Kokpara, Ghatshila, Dalbhumgarh and Kanimohali, which fall under the jurisdiction of Tatanagar railway police.

“These railway stations are vulnerable to Naxalite action. Intelligence inputs also suggests the same,” said Jeetendra Kumar Singh, superintendent of railway police.

Concerned over the firing incident on Howrah-Tatanagar Steel Superfast Express at Banstala on Saturday, the railway’s intelligence wing has alerted the district and railway police to take necessary security measures to prevent such incidents in future.

“The movement of rebels is a cause of concern for both the district and the railway police. We are devising ways to strengthen the security apparatus in the railway stations that are considered vulnerable,” added Singh.

Sources revealed that railway police were preparing a comprehensive plan to ensure safety and security of passengers on moving trains. The plan includes improving security at the railway stations, which have been declared sensitive.

Zonal IG (railway), A.K. Singh, during his visit to the steel city on Sunday, hinted at recruitment of Railway Protection Force (RPF) jawans to strengthen the security apparatus of the railways in the wake of challenges posed by the rebels. He stressed on the need to provide escorts on all important trains passing through vulnerable stretches in the Chakradharpur division.

“The firing incident on Steel Superfast Express is an eye-opener for us,” admitted Laxman Singh, a senior official of Government Railway Police (GRP). He said a concerted effort had to be made by both the district and the railway police to frustrate the evil designs of rebels.

The 100km stretch between Tatanagar and Jhargram has of late become a soft target of rebels. The last big incident took place on October 27 last year when the members of People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), an offshoot of CPI (Maoist), took control of the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express at Banstala for about five hours.