Thirty-nine people have been arrested and jailed so far this year by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in South Central Railway’s jurisdiction for pelting stones on trains. This includes the arrest of 10 people, including six juveniles, who were caught in connection with 10 instances of pelting stones on Vande Bharat Express in the last two months, the SCR said on Tuesday.
The SCR appealed to the public to not indulge in such anti-social activities, pointing out that five passengers were seriously injured in such stone-pelting incidents.
Stressing that activities like pelting stones on trains are a punishable offence under the RPF Act, the SCR warned of stringent action against the perpetrators under Section 153 of the Railways Act, which is punishable with imprisonment which may extend up to 5 years. The SCR also identified some of its vulnerable sections as Kazipet – Khammam, Kazipet – Bhongir and Eluru – Rajahmundry.
Arun Kumar Jain, the general manager of SCR, appealed to the general public to refrain from indulging in such unlawful activities which damage national property and cause serious injuries to passengers. In a statement, he appealed to the elders to counsel their children and educate them regarding the serious implications of their childish actions.
According to SCR, such instances have also led to rescheduling of trains. “This causes inconvenience to all passengers. The pelting of stones on a train has serious implications, as many as five passengers were seriously injured as a result of being hit by stones. Such stone hits can lead to fatal injuries to the onboard passengers… It is also important to realise that some of the stone pelting incidents also involved children aged between 6 to 17 years. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every parent, teacher, and elders in the society to counsel, educate and guide children to desist from such activities,” the statement said.
To curb such incidents, the RPF is also taking up several preventive measures, including awareness campaigns and coordinating with sarpanches of villages near tracks and making them village mitras. In addition, staff have also been deployed in all stone pelting black spots who may be informed as and when any such occurrence is likely. People who witness such incidents are requested to report them by dialling 139 for immediate action by RPF, it added.
