Policing ‘stunt boys’ on suburban trains will be a task that security agencies on the Central Railway’s harbour line will take up this year. ‘Stunt boys’ is a term used for children who try daredevil, death-defying stunts on running trains.
The number of such cases registered has risen in recent times, with several such stunt boys dying while performing the stunts. In 2012, the Railway Protection Force registered 5,764 cases as against 4,806 in 2011 – a 20% jump. Performing such stunts is not only a threat to life, it is also illegal.
Railway officials said that while routine checks on the harbour line has seen a rise in number of people getting caught, it also shows that the trend is rising.
Senior commandant of the Railway Protection Force, Alok Bohra, said they were holding routine checks to apprehend such stunt-performers.
He said youngsters often indulge in these stunts for a kick. “Many of the boys who have been caught are from very poor families. While people with money can go bungee-jumping, for these boys, stunts on trains gives an adrenalin rush. They don’t realise how dangerous it is,” said Bohra.
Another official said that aspirational value attached to train stunts also causes problems. “In a group, those who can perform stunts are seen as superior to those who can’t,” said the official.
While the railway security agency has created awareness about dangers of performing stunts, Bohra said it will stop only if the youngsters realise its danger.
