Mumbai, Jun 30 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has announced plans to expand CCTV coverage and strengthen police patrolling across Mumbai’s suburban railway network to ensure the safety of passengers following the recent fatal stabbing of a young man on a moving local train.
Minister of State for Home, Yogesh Kadam, told the assembly on Monday that the accused in the murder of a commuter was arrested within 15 hours using CCTV footage and the Facial Recognition System.
He was responding to an adjournment notice by the Opposition over the June 23 murder of Mayank Lohar in a first-class coach of a Churchgate-Nalasopara local train.
Kadam said the accused was tracked and arrested within 15 hours after police analysed CCTV footage and used facial recognition technology.
“Legal action has been initiated against him,” Kadam told the House.
He said the Railway Police maintain round-the-clock surveillance through dedicated monitoring from around 20 police stations.
Responding to concerns over police manpower, Kadam said the Railway Police Commissionerate has 4,175 sanctioned posts, dismissing suggestions of inadequate strength.
The minister said the Maharashtra government has written to the Centre seeking an increase in the number of CCTV cameras on the suburban railway network.
Highlighting the scale of Mumbai’s local train operations, the minister said around 75 to 80 lakh passengers travel daily, making physical screening of every commuter impracticable.
“Instead, surveillance is intelligence-based. Suspicious persons are specifically checked, and railway police also conduct surprise inspections and random checks inside train coaches,” he said.
To prevent similar incidents (the fatal stabbing), the government will focus on increasing CCTV coverage and strengthening police patrolling across the network, Kadam said.
“We will ensure an emergency medical room at every station so that passengers can get immediate medical assistance,” he added.
On women’s safety, he said 218 railway security teams monitor women’s coaches between 9 pm and 6 am, with four security personnel deployed on every train during those hours.
The minister also informed the House that railway police had returned stolen property worth Rs 4.36 crore to about 56,000 passengers, taken action against 303 criminals and 117 persons involved in drug-related offences this year.
Kadam further said the Railway Police are implementing a “Zero Death Mission”, under which 63 accident-prone hotspots have been identified, and senior officers have been assigned to oversee preventive measures and improve emergency response. PTI MR NSK ARU
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.