3,700 railway cops to patrol WR, CR stations

Mumbai: Following the increase in number of molestation cases on the railways, 260 Maharashtra State Security Force (MSSF) personnel have been inducted to ensure security and safety of women commuters at night.

The total strength of personnel who patrol the stations and trains on the Central and Western line has gone up to around 3700, including MSSF.

GRP commissioner Niket Kaushik had said that in order to meet the challenge of making women commuters’ travel safe, they had already submitted the proposal to the general managers of Western and Central Railways about acquiring more manpower from MSSF. As a part of the proposal which was approved, more than 260 MSSF personnel have joined the GRP to keep the city safe.

As of now, the CCTV cameras installed on the railway stations are proving to be a major helping hand for the security personnel as the accused persons are caught within hours of committing the crime.  As compared to 2016, molestation cases on Mumbai railways rose by 29 percent in 2017.

Recent incidents
On Thursday a man ‘forcibly kissed’ a woman commuter at a railway station in Navi Mumbai. The incident happened when the girl, who is in her early 20s, was waiting for the local train at Turbhe railway station. The accused was however arrested hours later after examining the CCTV footage.

In October last year, a schoolgirl jumped off a running local between CSMT and Masjid stations moments after a man entered the ladies compartment. The girl, 13, suffered serious injuries to the leg and head.