No headway in trans-harbour accident case

It’s been a week since Dombivli resident Arti Gholapkar, 43, succumbed to her head injuries after a fall on railway track. But the government railway police (GRP) have not got any headway yet.

Gholapkar, who worked in a factory in Pawane MIDC, was travelling on the trans-harbour line when a robber, lurking near a pole, struck her with a hooked stick.
The GRP have questioned over 50 people so far, but they are not sure if they will be able to arrest the accused.

A delegation of Bhartiya Janta Party workers met senior GRP official on Wednesday at Vashi railway police station and sought their clarification for the delay in arrest of the accused. According to senior police inspector Purshotam M Karkarte from Vashi GRP, they have formed five teams to trace the culprit. “We have not got any concrete result, but hope to get a breakthrough in the case soon,” he said.

GRP officials blamed the railway protection force (RPF) behind the delay as they are not co-operating in solving the case. “The RPF does not carry out their duty properly and such incidents take place because of their negligence,” said an officer from Vashi GRP.

He added, “Trimming of trees near the railway track is their duty. The miscreants seek shelter under the tree to execute their crime. But RPF officials do not carry out their job properly.”

They also blamed the poor workforce for rising crime in the train. “We have the same number of workforce when the railway started its service in 1990s. The frequency of trains has increased and so have the number of commuters, but no additional staff have been appointed,” said Karkarte.

Currently, the total number of GRP is 107, which is much less than the requirement.

According to the victim’s friends, Gholapkar was travelling on the footboard of a Thane-bound local on Thursday when the accused tried to knock off her handbag. She lost her balance and fell. The man stripped off her jewellery and handbag and fled.