CHENNAI: The brutal attack on a youth from Odisha at Tiruttani railway station last month, in which lethal weapons were used, has raised serious concerns over passenger safety on the Chennai-Tiruttani section. This stretch has long been marred by frequent clashes between rival student groups, “route thala” disputes, personal conflicts, and attacks on innocent passengers.
On December 27, a verbal dispute on a Chennai-Tiruttani local train escalated into a violent incident, during which the youth from Odisha was dragged off the train at Tiruttani railway station, taken to a secluded area, and brutally assaulted. A video of the attack went viral, following which the railway police arrested four juveniles from Tiruttani and Arakkonam in connection with the case. The victim who sustained severe cuts in the incident has allegedly returned to his native, and his whereabouts are currently unknown, according to the police.
Rail passengers have demanded the deployment of private security personnel, similar to the Metro Rail system, along with frisking at stations and identifying habitual offenders. They said RPF and the Railway Board cannot continue to cite staff shortages indefinitely.
Not enough personnel
The Chennai district Government Railway Police (GRP) stated their strength is limited to about 700 personnel to cover 220 stations under their jurisdiction across the Chennai-Villupuram and Chennai-Palakkad sections. Officials admitted that increasing patrols remains a major challenge, with vacancies ranging between 25% and 30%.
Similarly, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has over 1,100 officers and jawans working under the senior divisional security commissioner in the Chennai Division. However, nearly 20% of posts remain vacant, though recruitment has been initiated.
Chennai Division operates 540 local services and 110 express trains, said GRP (Chennai) SP I Eswaran said. “It is nearly impossible to deploy police personnel on every train. In one shift, we can deploy a maximum of 350 personnel. Except for Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore, we do not have facilities for frisking passengers and their belongings at other stations due to absence of restricted entry,” he said.
“Issues related to ‘route thala’ have been significantly controlled over the past year. Most youth involved in such activities come from broken families and lack proper supervision. They are aware of police presence and usually board trains at stations where security is minimal,” GRP (Chennai) SP I Eswaran said.
Southern Railway RPF IG K Arul Jothi said the force has taken action using CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts and has curbed unruly student behaviour to a large extent. “This issue requires cooperation from parents and college authorities. We have conducted special meetings and counselling sessions for students,” he said.
He further stated that the abandoned house near Tiruttani station has been demolished and an RPF post was set up, manned jointly by RPF and GRP personnel round the clock. “CCTV will be installed shortly,” he added. On engaging private security, Jothi said, “At present, there is no proposal.”
Drug menace
Regular passengers from Tiruttani and Arakkonam told TNIE that a few passengers who witnessed the assailants using machetes were terrified, as neither GRP nor RPF was visible at the station. “It appears that a few passengers saw the youth being dragged from the train to the station, but there were no police personnel present anywhere on the platforms. It is high time frisking is introduced at select stations to prevent weapons from being carried inside,” said a Tiruttani resident, who requested anonymity.
“Train travel is becoming unsafe due to the widespread sale of ganja and other drugs. The carrying of knives, machetes, and other weapons should not be allowed inside railway premises. Railway Board, GRP, and RPF cannot remain passive in the face of repeated violent incidents,” sad K Baskar, former DRUCC member of Chennai Division.