By P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The arson attack inside a coach of the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express in Kozhikode, Kerala, which left three persons dead and eight injured, underlines the urgent need to tighten security systems on trains and at railway stations.
A man from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, has emerged as the prime suspect in the attack. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Kerala’s Anti-Terrorist Squad are collecting more details from the local police. Senior police officers say that the attack appeared pre-meditated.
The motive behind the attack is, however, not clear. The incident occurred around 9.15 p.m. on April 2, when the train neared Elathur station on the outskirts of Kozhikode. An eyewitness said the suspect carrying two plastic bottles threw an inflammatory liquid, possibly petrol, on passengers inside the DI coach and ignited it. In a desparate attempt to escape three persons did of burns while eight others sustained injuries.
According to the police, the suspect did odd jobs in north Kerala and lived off his carpentry skills. However, the police said it is too early to say that it was a terrorist attack. A team of Railway Special Squad has left for Noida to track down the suspect. The police have recovered a bag containing a bottle of petrol, a spectacle, a mobile phone, a lunchbox and a notebook with scribblings in English and Hindi, from the tracks. The police have also prepared a facial composite, a drawing based on eyewitness’s recollection of the attacker’s physical features, and broadcast the image on television.
The shocking incident has shaken the confidence of the people in the State who use trains in a big way. The attack has also created serious doubts in the minds of passengers in the ability of the Railway Police to prevent such crimes. The Passengers’ Association, for instance, has lashed out at what they called the indifferent attitude of the railway police in upgrading security on trains and at the stations.
Incidentally, this is not the first incident of its kind. The apathetic attitude of the police is clear from the fact that the culprits in a train attack at Thiruvalla in the State in 2022 is still at large. What has emboldened the attackers is the lack of adequate security measures in the trains and railway stations.
The lackadaisical attitude of the Railways is also evident from the fact that many CCTV cameras installed at stations are not functional at all. The Passengers Association also laid accent on the urgent need to install new scanners at stations. Poor maintenance of the ones already in place at various stations has resulted in them becoming useless. Even the CCTV cameras that work stop functioning at night! Another contributory factor behind increasing attacks on trains is the paucity of sufficient personnel in the Railway Protection Force(RPF). Informed sources said the performance of even the Government Railway Police(GRP) leaves much to be desired.
Reports have it that as many as 240 trains pass through the State every day. And an estimated three lakh people use it. To ensure their security, at least 1,500 RPF employees are needed. It is shocking that at present, the RPF does not boast even half of that strength. There was talk of a concerted effort to upgrade security in the wake of the torture and subsequent murder of a young woman on Shoranur passenger way back in 2011. But there has been no follow-up on that promise.
To say that the Railways has its task cut out in the wake of the latest incident is to state the obvious. It is time the department shed its inertia and swung into action to firm up security. The recommendation for the installation of ‘danger buttons’ which can be used in an emergency has remained on paper so far. It is of utmost importance to take expeditious remedial measures. Otherwise, the number of people who travel by trains will suffer a precipitous fall. The time for action is now. (IPA Service)
