ER cracks down on passengers carrying firecrackers

Kolkata: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Eastern Railway (ER) cracked down on passengers carrying firecrackers or other inflammable articles. They conducted raids at different Railway stations, including Howrah, Sealdah, Kolkata, Dum Dum Junction and Durgapur, amongst others.

During one such raid at Asansol station, the RPF personnel on Saturday nabbed a man carrying firecrackers in his luggage. The firecrackers were confiscated and the accused was taken into custody under the provision of Railways Act.

Meanwhile, the RPF personnel at Howrah Station carried on special drives to ensure that passengers do not travel with inflammable articles. The security team of Howrah Division conducted checks in around 77 trains on Saturday.

Till now, three cases have been registered under Howrah Division against passengers carrying inflammable articles like kerosene stove and firecrackers.

Around 148 cases have been registered against people violating Section 167 of Railways Act which prohibits smoking in trains.

In a data shared by the Eastern Railway, till November 16, a total of 52 persons were apprehended and prosecuted under Section 164 of the Railways Act, which included two for carrying crackers.Furthermore, 412 people were booked under section 167 of Railways Act and 101 people under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTP).