Vigil: Brisk checking at Howrah, Sealdah stns

Kolkata: Key Railway hubs in Bengal, including the state’s two busiest stations Howrah and Sealdah, remain under tight security following the Delhi and Nowgam blasts, officials said on Monday.

Barricades have been erected near both the stations and vehicles are being thoroughly checked before granted entry into parking lots, a senior police officer said.

An RPF officer said bags of passengers are being thoroughly scanned and anyone found suspicious is being questioned, while armed Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel have been deployed at various spots.

“Two additional companies from the Railway Protection Special Force have been deployed at Howrah station,” an official of the Kolkata-headquartered Eastern

Railway said. Inspector General-cum-principal chief security commissioner, Eastern Railway, Amiya Nandan Sinha, inspected Howrah station and reviewed security arrangements, the ER official said.

A high-level meeting has been held in the state following the recent blasts, with Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma instructing officials to ensure strict vigil.

A Kolkata Police officer said that surveillance at hotels has also been increased.

The heightened vigil comes days after 13 people were killed in a blast near Red Fort metro station in Delhi on November 10, and nine people were killed in an accidental blast in Nowgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir on November 14.