BENGALURU: Three different Vande Bharat trains passing through South Western Railway Zone were pelted with stones by miscreants on Sunday (March 3). Though there were no injuries, the glass window panes of the trains were damaged.
Inspector General-cum-Principal Chief Security Commissioner, Railway Protection Force, SWR, Rama Shankar Prasad Singh told The New Indian Express that no arrests have been made so far.
“Unfortunately, three incidents have taken place on a single day. Our cops rushed to different spots and investigations are on,” he added. Two of the three incidents occurred within the Bengaluru Railway Division.
The first incident at 6.15 am when the KSR Bengaluru-Dharwad Vande Bharat Express (Train No. 20661) crossed Chikkabanavara railway station in Bengaluru Railway Division. “Miscreants pelted stones on coach C6 on the window in seats 40, 41 and 42,” Singh said.
The second incident occurred around 3.20 pm when the Dharwad-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express (Train No. 20662) was travelling in the return direction. Stones were thrown on the window panes of coach C5 between Haveri and Harihar railway stations in Mysuru Division.
The third incident occurred on the Mysuru-MGR Central Vande Bharat, around 200 metres before Kuppam station in Bengaluru Division at 4.30 pm. “From the right side of the engine, a miscreant pelted stones damaging glass panes in C4 coach where seats 40, 41 & 42 are located,” Singh said.
Singh said cases are booked under Sections 147 (Trespassing on railway track) and section 153 (endangering the safety of persons travelling by railway by willful act or omission).
Singh added that 45 arrests have been made from July to December last year in stone pelting cases on Vande Bharat trains alone. Nearly 70 percent of these are minors who do it for fun.
“We hand them over to the juvenile court and they decide on the action to be taken. In the case of adults, we book them under the Railway Act,” said Singh. Following stringent action taken by the RPF, the incidents had come down drastically but suddenly shot up on Sunday, the IG added.
Vande Bharat to Renigunta in the offing
The Railway Board plans to run a new Vande Bharat Express between Bengaluru and Renigunta within a week. “We have been told to keep a rake ready by March 10. It will help pilgrims as the station is very close to Tirupati,” said a senior railway official of the Bengaluru Division.