HYDERABAD: South Central Railway has appealed to the general public not to indulge in anti-social activities such as stone pelting on trains, which become the cause of serious injuries to onboard passengers and damage railway property.
Stone pelting on trains is punishable under Railway Protection Force (RPF) Act, the SCR said in a release. Pelting of stones on trains is a criminal offence and stringent action will be taken against the perpetrators under Section 153 of Railways Act, which is punishable with imprisonment up to 5 years, it said. Pointing out that instances of stone pelting have taken place across different locations over SCR jurisdiction, the release said that some of the vulnerable sections have been Kazipet - Khammam, Kazipet-Bhongir, and Eluru-Rajahmundry. In recent times, Vande Bharat trains are being targeted by miscreants and nine such incidents have been reported since January, it said. The SCR said that such incidents have not only led to damage of public property but also rescheduling of the train.
Such incidents can lead to fatal injuries to the on-board passengers. Railway Protection Force is working to catch culprits involved in such incidents and has so far registered several cases, and 39 offenders were arrested and sent to jail.
Some of the stone pelting incidents also involved children aged between 6 to 17 years, the release said. SCR officials said it was the responsibility of every parent, teacher, and elders in the society to counsel, educate and guide children to desist from such activities.