NEW DELHI: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, going far beyond the call of their duty, saved the lives of a record number of people in 2021 in the country.
The RPF personnel saved the lives of more than six hundred people in 2021 alone besides rescuing hundreds of minor children and women from the clutches of human traffickers.
According to official data, shared with this newspaper on Saturday by the railways, the RPF personnel saved the lives of 601 persons going far beyond the call of their duty in 2021 all over the Indian Railways under the ‘Mission Jeevan Raksha.' Apart from 601 in 2021, the RPF had saved the lives of 1,049 persons in 2018, 2019 and 2020 also.
Gyan Chand, an RPF cop, showed exemplary courage in saving the life of a woman from killing herself before a running train in UP on March 3 in 2021 but, in the process, lost his life.
Rajiv Jain-ADG PR of Railway, sharing details, said that the RPF playing the role of an immediate responder in case of human trafficking through rail transportation, also rescued 630 persons, including 54 women, 94 minor girls, 81 men, and 401 minor boys from the clutches of human-traffickers in 2021.
“It is a record that the RPF saved 401 minor boys among 630 others rescued from the clutches of human traffickers in 2021. This has set a record of achievements”, Jain said.
Besides all this, as Jain claimed, the RPF also played a big role in renuniting11, 900 children, who had lost their ways to their families or run away from homes over petty issues in 2021.
“To recover and assist the children in need of care and protection, 132 Child Help Desks are functional across Indian Railways in the country wherein the RPF cops work with the nominated NGO volunteers for the rescue of children”, Jain said.
On being asked how many calls were received by the RPF on toll-free Help Line no 139 in 2021, Jain said: “More than 80,000 calls and complaints were received from passengers in distress on the Toll-Free Helpline number 139 in 2021 and their problems were sorted out promptly by railways."