HYDERABAD: Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, who opened fire during the protest at the Secunderabad Railway Station that turned violent on Friday, used a long-range INSAS rifle. A total of 20 rounds were fired, of which only one bullet hit one of the protesters who died. The other youths who were injured had received pellet injuries.
Addressing the media late on Sunday, B Anuradha, SP Railways, said that the bullets could have ricocheted off any hard surface, resulting in pellet injuries to the protesters. The SP said that at 8.56 am, around 300 youths who had gathered outside the railway station, carrying sticks and petrol in cans, barged through Gate No 3.
Though the security personnel tried to stop them, the mob forced its way in and started damaging the stalls on the platforms and setting fire to the bogies. “When attempts were made to control them, the youths jumped onto the tracks and started pelting stones at the personnel and trains. This continued even after additional forces joined,” she said.
“We have arrested 46 people with strong evidence against them. The probe is on to identify others involved in the attacks. We appeal to the youth that it is a very serious offence to attack any public property. If there are any apprehensions over any issue, people can protest, but not resort to violence” Anuradha said.
B Sudhakar, Divisional Security Commissioner, Railways said that property loss was est-imated to be around Rs 12 crore.
“The cases registered against the youths, particularly Section 156 of the Railways Act, are very stringent and if convicted under this charge, one can be imprisoned for life,” he said.