The Government Railway Police (GRP) has devised a strategy to continuously monitor the Vande Bharat Express running between Howrah and New Jalpaiguri. This comes on the heels of incidents of stone pelting allegedly on two consecutive days.
“Two incidents were reported to us regarding stone pelting. One was at Kumargram railway station under Malda GRP on January 2 and the other while the train was entering NJP on January 3. RPF is investigating the cases. We are in constant touch with the RPF and if they want we can jointly investigate,” stated S. Selvamurugan, SP, GRP, Siliguri.
A dedicated WhatsApp group called “All Station Vande Bharat WhatsApp Group” has been created.
“When the train enters and exits a station, the RPF officials included in the WhatsApp group send immediate and continuous updates regarding the train. GRP personnel are also posted in the train along with the RPF,” added the SP. He stated that along with the RPF and local police, GRP personnel and officials are also visiting the areas where the two incidents were reported from, sensitising the masses and creating awareness .
Northeast Frontier Railway has appealed to passengers to inform on the toll-free helpline number (139,) if they come across incidents such as trespassing and stone pelting.