Unmanned entry points, casual security personnel and multiple exit routes created on boundary wall points towards insufficient security at Ranchi’s two main Railway stations- Ranchi and Hatia. Security here was appeared compromised on Friday when three armed assailants managed to escape the premises taking advantage of the vast open area alongside the platform number five at Ranchi Railway station.
Although there are equipments on platform number one at Ranchi Railway station to screen passengers moving in and out of the station, people alighting train on platform number four or five have the option of going away unnoticed through the vast boundary-less part of the station. Interestingly, the southern part of the station has become a preferred destination for people to load and unload goods supposedly transported illegally in train compartments.
“Although few trains come at platform number four and five still we monitor the area properly,” said DSP (Rail) A Ali in response to insufficient deployment on the southern side of the platform. The boundary-less part of the station was used by few armed assailants to flee the station premises by shooting a person on Friday morning. Notably, deployment of security officials at the station is a shared responsibility of Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police however it was inconspicuous even after the incident which put the security of the station under scanner.
“We deploy security personnel there however we are going to talk to the administration and will ask them to not use the platform for late night trains or trains going towards Hatia. We will also request the administration to erect a boundary wall,” added Ali.
Nonetheless, the Railway administration seems to have taken note of the poor demarcation of the station premises and is likely to brainstorm over possible ways of securing the area including erecting a boundary wall alongside the platform where the shooting had taken place.“We will see and will put up the matter (of erecting a boundary wall),” said DRM Ranchi Deepak Kashyap.
Although, the Hatia station was secured by a boundary wall on one side jumping the wall seemed like a child play for people. The station premises is not far behind the Ranchi Railway station in terms of loop-holes in security at several points.