A slum along the railway tracks in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, March 13: Life has changed for Bapi Nayak, 21, who had been jailed for five months in a theft case, after he became a volunteer in a night patrol team keeping a watch on slums near Bhubaneswar railway station.

Members of this patrol team, drawn from the slums along the railway tracks, have been deployed to assist police in the job of curbing crime in the area.

Like Bapi, a dozen others with most of them accused of petty crimes, including theft and snatching, have also joined the community night patrol job, introduced by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Lakshmisagar police station. The volunteers belong to three slums around the railway station.

The group’s prime task is to keep a look out for snatchers, chain-pullers and other suspected criminals in the area at night. The 50-strong group is helping curb crime on the outer tracks bordering the slums.

“Most snatchers often tend to get down from running trains at these slums. Therefore, we conducted a meeting with the slum dwellers and they decided to help us in night patrolling. We are also deploying adequate GRP personnel with the volunteers,” said inspector in charge of the GRP, Bhubaneswar, Saubhagya Swain.

A number of women are also taking part in night patrolling. The police have provided the patrol members, who work from 8pm to 5am, torchlights. “My parents convinced me that instead of getting involved in criminal activities, I should help the police. I am happy as the initiative gives me a chance to return to the mainstream,” said Seikh Islam, a 20-year-old youth, who had been jailed in connection with crimes such as snatching and theft.

The three slums — Buddha Nagar, Banafulla and Falikia — are known as the dens of criminals, who mostly commit crimes on running trains. The slums have served as the safe hideouts for them.

“It has been a week since the slum dwellers have been involved in the night patrolling job. The crime rate in the area has dropped to zero,” said Swain.

However, the volunteers are demanding identity cards or passes to ensure that they are recognised by the police. A senior police officer said they were planning to provide them with passes.