The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : RPF Raising Day celebrated

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 21, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

RPF Raising Day celebrated

Special Correspondent

Caesar, the sniffer dog, steals the show at the ceremonial parade

ON TRACK: Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel in march past during the RPF Raising Day celebrations at Railway Institute Grounds in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Bangalore: It has a history of 125 years. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) can trace its origins to 1882 during the British rule when "watchmen" were appointed to guard railway property. Most railways were then operated by British companies such as the Madras and South Maharatta Railway Co, which eventually became Southern Railway.

On Wednesday, the 22nd Raising Day of RPF Bangalore Division was celebrated. The RPF was formed in 1957 through an Act of Parliament to provide security to railway property. In 1966, additional powers were given to arrest, enquire and prosecute offenders.

In 2004, the RPF was given the duty of protecting railway passengers and to complement the efforts of the Railway Police in tackling crime targeted at rail passengers. In more recent days, they have had to help the police and sometimes, paramilitary forces, in guarding railway installations and trains against terrorist attacks. Now, the Bangalore Division has 492 RPF personnel.

A highlight of Wednesday's celebrations was a display by Caesar, a dog trained to detect buried bombs and hidden explosives carried by people.

Divisional Railway Manager Mahesh Mangal, who inspected the parade by RPF personnel, said fines collected from "tout cases" during five months of this fiscal came to Rs. 4.9 lakh, showing the alertness of the RPF to prevent exploitation of passengers.

The security enhancement in the division now included 42 surveillance cameras in major stations, especially in Bangalore. The cameras even scanned the vehicle parking areas, he added.

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