Profiling of trespassers and deployment of undercover armed commandos among precautionary measures being undertaken
Minutes after terror outfit ISIS's media wing Amaq reportedly called the attacker of Saint-Charles train station in Marseille, France, a "soldier of the Islamic State", the Railway Protection Force and the Delhi Police stepped up the vigil at railway stations in the national Capital significantly.
Stating that railway stations were an easy target because of the "open architecture" , a senior RPF officer said profiling of trespassers and deployment of undercover armed commandos were among the precautionary measures being undertaken.
Amaq had released its statement on the Marseille attack on social media, late on Sunday, after a man with a knife attacked and killed two women at a railway station before being killed by the military police. The statement, reportedly issued in Arabic, said the attacker "implemented the operation as an answer to the call of targeting coalition countries". France is a member of the US-led coalition battling ISIS in Syria and Iraq, media reports said. The ISIS, however, did not name the attacker or provide evidence that he was linked to the terror group.
Hours later, over 50 people were killed and more than 200 wounded after a shooter rained bullets during a music festival in Las Vegas, US. This was followed by the arrest of a Somalian for stabbing and ramming into pedestrians in an alleged terrorist attack.
This string of attacks, allegedly by militant groups, has sparked concerns among railways authorities and security agencies in Delhi.Sanjay Kishore, IG-cum-Chief Security Commissioner of the Railway Protection Force, Northern Railway, said: "Keeping such attacks and intelligence inputs in mind, we have significantly stepped up the vigil and frisking of passengers entering the station has been tightened. Since our stations are open from all sides, we are ensuring strict profiling and armed commandos in plainclothes have been deployed at platforms and in circulating areas."
The officer further said the stations in Delhi might soon get more CCTV cameras to enhance surveillance during crowded seasons. The current scenario has also triggered repeated inspections of trains, platforms, and parking areas by bomb disposal and detection squads and sniffer dogs.
Security at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi Metro, inter-state bus terminals, bus stops, markets, shopping malls, critical installations, monuments, and government offices has also been adequately stepped up, the police said.
VULNERABLE RAILWAYS
- More than 800 trains pass through 232 railway stations in Delhi Division daily.
- These stations see a footfall of over 15 lakh every day.
- Only 11 stations are equipped with CCTV cameras.
- The RPF is drastically short staffed.
- Regular checks are conducted only in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.
- Only seven dogs guard over 800 trains and 232 stations.
- Unmanned entries, broken boundaries, and open access to railway lines compound the problem.
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