After Court Complex blast, Ludhiana railway station gets new scanners, cameras

Soon after the court complex blast, Government Railway Police (GRP) officials headed by additional inspector general (AIG) Pritipal Singh and officials of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) met to review the security arrangements at the station

A day after a blast at the court complex sent ripples across the city, security was finally ramped up at the Ludhiana railway station, which is one of the busiest terminals in the state, on Friday.

With security forces at the railway station grappling with shortage of staff, more security personnel from different parts of the state were deputed to Ludhiana. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Soon after the court complex blast, Government Railway Police (GRP) officials headed by additional inspector general (AIG) Pritipal Singh and officials of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) met to review the security arrangements at the station. In the past, intelligence reports have indicated that the station is on the radar of Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, and a few national rebel groups.

Officers were told to keep an eye on the staff, sweepers, porters and vendors at the railway station. “We have been asked to frisk everyone and even keep an eye on the regular staff as anyone can be a member of a terror organisation”, said an officer, requesting anonymity.

With security forces at the railway station grappling with shortage of staff, more security personnel from different parts of the state were deputed to Ludhiana. Five GRP personnel from Patiala and 20 RPF personnel have reached the district, while 20 Railway Special Force personnel have reached from Jammu.

The security personnel were seen manning and frisking the public at the foot over bridge, which was not done before the blast. Teams of dog squads were seen keeping a strict vigil on every moment.

2 new scanners installed

After being reprimanded by the AIG over defunct scanners, two new scanners were installed at Gate 1 and 2, respectively, under the supervision of deputy superintendent of police Balram Rana and inspector Jaskaran Singh on Friday. A defunct scanner was repaired and installed at the third entry exit gate of the railway station.

However, the security made sure that each passenger entered the platform after getting their luggage scanned through the lone luggage scanner which usually breaks down after getting heated.

New cameras ordered

A senior official said of the 100 cameras at the railway station, a few are defunct and an order has been given to immediately replace or repair the CCTV cameras. Moreover, the location of a few cameras has been shifted by the GRP for better surveillance at blind spots.

Parking shifted

The parking has been shifted at some distance from Gate 1 and 2. “We do not want to take any chances, and thus the best possible security arrangements have been made at the Ludhiana station. The staff has been instructed to cooperate with security here”, said Tarun Kumar, station director, Ludhiana.