‘Not comfortable with stampede inquiry committee manned by officers from departments that’ll be probed’

Q: There were serious lapses at New Delhi railway station.A: Every nook and corner of NDLS is under CCTV coverage. So how was the build-up not noticed at the command centre? If it was noticed, was there a lack of coordination between RPF and operational staff? Why were red flags not raised at the right time to stop trains at previous stations? Why was the platform switched? These are questions the inquiry commission will be asking.Q: Any thoughts on the inquiry committee?A: Sale of tickets is handled by the commercial department and safety of passengers is RPF’s responsibility. Inquiry has been entrusted to the zonal head of commercial department and the committee includes a senior RPF officer of IG rank. How judicious is this, when there are so many senior experienced officers on railways board at Rail Bhavan.Ministry must be sensitive to the dictum that justice not only needs to be done but must also be seen to be done, both internally and for public. I’m not comfortable with a committee of senior officers from the very departments whose actions are under the lens. Q: Given India’s population, increased mobility & train travel, should RPF be overhauled?A: Indian Railways has three tiers of security. District police, govt railway police (GRP) and RPF. District police are less mobile. RPF used to have only a watch & ward role in protecting rail infra/property while GRP was more the law & order wing, tasked with passenger safety. Over the decades, RPF’s role, under the railways, has taken on all aspects of security, while GRP has become redundant. GRP police stations can actually directly be supervised by district police – it’s a state force and policing, law & order is a state subject, so it’ll work better. The three-tier system is clearly creating more confusion as to responsibilities. It’s high time to review railway security through a high-powered committee.There’s also a dire need for improved coordination among various wings like commercial, operations and security. If 2,600 tickets were sold in a rush, did the command centre not know of it?Q: Is RPF sufficiently staffed?A: More than extra personnel, it has been policy to equip the force with tech aids for efficiency. CCTV cameras, their close monitoring and maintenance, body cameras, and other tech tools, are a force multiplier, better than more personnel. But, on occasion, like festivals for instance, human resources will necessarily have to be supplemented.Q: How can RPF improve station management in metros, on migrant routes and during festivals?A: On special days RPF is supplemented with men from specialised armed unit railway protection special force (RPSF). Holding areas are set up at the outer sides of platforms. Every part is under CCTV coverage for 24x7 monitoring. Holding areas for passengers at stations in Prayagraj have been successful. Even during Chhath such arrangements are made to regulate passenger flow.Where were the holding areas at NDLS? They should’ve been constructed both in the direction of ingress and egress of crowds. It’s not unknown that crowds have to be monitored from their places of origin. It was evident Delhi was a huge place of origin. Did railways not anticipate such crowd pressure? After the 2010 Delhi station stampede, the whole system was revamped, platforms expanded. During Chhath and Diwali, holding areas are always created outside platforms and arrangements often overseen by railways minister himself.Q: Delhi has several large stations. Should trains headed to Prayagraj have been decentralised?A: Certainly. They should’ve been decentralised. It’s all part of festival management process, particularly as the size of the crowds is anticipated.Q: What has been your experience of Kumbh?A: A challenge in those days (2013) was to manage the akharas as they were quite hostile to the then SP government. On the day of mauni amavasya, all went well at the site but a stampede at Allahabad railway station was reported. More than 42 people were killed. It was finally attributed to the collapse of a railing at the station. The point is to learn from tragedies, and improve systems to avoid a repeat. Lessons have to be learnt.