‘Need help from other quarters too’
Interview with Tukaram Chavan, Government Railway Police Commissioner, Mumbai. Mohamed Thaver writes.
The killers of Nanki Siddiqui, 65, seem to have taken advantage of the fact that she was alone in the ladies compartment. Do you see this as a lapse on part of the police?
I would not be able to answer this as the incident took place in an outstation train. By an understanding between the Government Railway Police (GRP) and RPF (Railway Protection Force), the security of mail trains is normally taken care of by the RPF. However, apart from the police, the citizens and railway personnel have a part to play in the overall security arrangement.
But there was little or no scope for the railway authorities or fellow passengers to come to the victim’s aid because she was the only passenger in the bogie?
The coach where the incident took place was next to the guard room. I am not saying there was negligence on their (guards) part. However, if people on the platform and railway personnel were sensitised, things could have been different. We are always trying to weed out crime and some help from other quarters would help us go a long way as far as security is concerned.
Most of the recent crimes in trains have occurred either during late night or in the wee hours. Any plans to increase patrolling during these hours?
As far as patrolling local trains and railway stations is concerned, we have sufficient presence. However, security of outstation trains are a collaborated effort with other agencies.
Is it true that CCTVs at railway stations and terminus are either not working or the quality of the images is not good as seen during the investigation of some recent cases?
I disagree. Footage from CCTV cameras has helped us solve several cases. However, I do agree there is some scope for improvement.