Mumbai is on high alert; security beefed up on local railway network

Government Railway Police (GRP) stations have been instructed to reassess all security points in their jurisdictions and senior inspectors have begun security checks

The city has been put on high alert following the terror attack in Sri Lanka on April 21, with special priority being given to security along the suburban railway network. Government Railway Police (GRP) stations have been instructed to reassess all security points in their jurisdictions and senior inspectors have begun security checks.

GRP officers have also been instructed to keep an eye out for suspicious persons and conduct surprise checks of bags and compartments. (HT Photo)

“A security review of all stations has been going on. We have asked officers to patrol all entry-exit points of stations and secluded spots near the tracks and railway yards,” said Machindra Chavan, assistant commissioner of police (GRP), adding that the city is usually put on high alert after such attacks.

Senior inspectors of all GRPs — from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Karjat, Kasara and Panvel on the central Line, and from Churchgate to Dahanu on the western line — have been asked to conduct reconnaissance of vulnerable spots and vacant buildings along the tracks, beef up police presence at all stations, and increase regular patrolling of security points, said GRP sources. “We’ve been asked to chalk out loopholes in security procedures and list illegal entry-exit points. In coordination with the railways, we will either close these points by cementing or wiring them or man them,” said a GRP officer.

GRP officers have also been instructed to keep an eye out for suspicious persons and conduct surprise checks of bags and compartments. “We’ve asked our field officers to take adequate precautionary measures,” said Manjunath Shinge, spokesperson, Mumbai Police. The move comes after a series of blasts at three hotels and three churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday claimed around 253 lives.