Don’t throw stones on trains: SCR appeals to public

Hyderabad: The South Central Railway (SCR) on Tuesday appealed to the public not to indulge in anti-social activities such as stone pelting on trains after instances of the same on trains including Vande Bharat Express took place across different locations under its jurisdiction.

Some of the vulnerable sections (of stone pelting) have been Kazipet Khammam, Kazipet Bhongir and Eluru Rajahmundry, a press release from SCR said adding in recent times, Vande Bharat trains were targeted by miscreants and nine such incidents have been reported since January this year.

Stone pelting on trains is a criminal offence and stringent action will be taken against the perpetrators under Section 153 of the Railways Act, which is punishable with imprisonment which may extend up to 5 years, it said.

So far 39 offenders were arrested by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) after several cases were registered.

Some of the stone pelting incidents also involved children aged between 6 and 17 years. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every parent, teacher, and elders in the society to counsel, educate and guide children to desist from such activities, the SCR said.

Such instances have not only led to precious damage of public property but also led to the rescheduling of the train, besides as many as five passengers were seriously injured as a result of being hit by stones, it said.

SCR General Manager Arun Kumar Jain appealed to the public to refrain from indulging in such unlawful activities which damage national property and causes serious injuries to passengers.

The Railway Protection Force is also undertaking several preventive measures including awareness campaigns and coordinating with Sarpanches of villages near tracks and making them village mitras’, SCR Chief Public Relations Officer Ch Rakesh said.

In addition, the staff have also been deployed in all stone pelting black spots, the release added.