Southern Railways, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Railway Police (RP), as a part of their combined State-wide exercise on security aspects, launched an intense passenger safety awareness campaign here on Thursday.

Senior officers led by IG of Police C. V. Rao and accompanied by Salem Railway Divisional Manager P. N. Ram and Salem City Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Singh, distributed handbills to the passengers on ‘do’s and don’ts’ while travelling on trains, particularly on long-distance ones.

Presided over by Salem Railway Divisional Manager P. N. Ram and other senior officials, the IG also pasted pictorial stickers carrying detailed information to travelling passengers. He asked the policemen to remain ‘friendly’ with passengers and also alert.

The passengers were told not to accept eatables and beverages from strangers and co-passengers on travel.

Laptops should be kept locked.

People should not talk over mobiles about carrying cash and other valuables.

The police warned the passengers that modern-day thieves were well-dressed, fluent in English and also travelled in AC coaches. “Beware of them,” the officer said.

Earlier, Railway Police SP Panneerselvam held an awareness meeting on safety of travelling public in trains for policemen and officers working in Salem Railway Division from Coimbatore to Jolarpettai.

The SP said that every aspect related to a death on the rails should be carefully analysed: whether it was a pure accident, suicide or a murder.

He further pointed out that 10 persons per day were killed on tracks in Tamil Nadu, which also records 3,650 persons killed per year.

Railway Policemen from Salem, Erode, Tirupur, Coimbatore, Udhagamandalam, Pothanur, Dharmapuri, Hosur and Jolarpettai took part in the meeting.

Salem Rural SP N. M. Mayilvahanan, DC (Law and Order) Y. John Nicholson and DSP (Salem Range) Rajavel took part in the awareness campaign.

Source: THE HINDU