Moral policing on Kolkata Metro: Dedicated police stations need of the hour

KOLKATA: Around every week in the past, a couple was assaulted at the Metro station premises at Dum Dum. A few days later, a lady protestor was abused on the same station. And the back-toback incidents have highlighted the demanding situations victims face to lodge a complaint.
The Metro stations fall throughout the jurisdictional ambit of the local police stations, but the Metro Railway Police (MRP) — modelled at the state’s Government Railway Police (GRP) — studies to the south zone divisional commissioner of police in Kolkata. Now, with the Metro set to increase its area of opeartion beyond Kolkata Police’s jurisdiction, problems are most effective set to multiply, concern professionals.



Delhi is a living proof. There, a dedicated Metro Railway Police has been set up with its own dedicated police station and group of workers. The nationwide capital right now has 185 metro stations alongside its 252-km corridor, whilst Kolkata has 23 stations for the 27.22-km stretch. Initially, Delhi Police followed the Kolkata Police type — the local police stations coated the respective Metro stations. Later, six Metro police stations were set up underneath a DCP. Twenty-three Metro stations set up e-kiosks the place passengers may lodge FIRs. In 2017 alone, 12,925 FIRs were lodged, of which, 80% were e- FIRs.


Several years in the past, in keeping with sources, a suggestion was submitted to the federal government to deliver the Metro Railway Police underneath the ambit of the GRP. It was additionally proposed to make the Metro Railway the 5th railway district, after Howrah, Sealdah, Kharagpur and Siliguri. That would have ensured a supervision of the extent of an SP and dedicated manpower. However,the state is but to company up its decision on it.


The implications aren't laborious to gauge. In Monday’s incident in Kolkata, had the victims chosen to lodge a FIR, they'd had to shuttle to Sinthee PS. On Thursday, when a molestation sufferer selected to protest and went the entire method to Sinthee PS, she reportedly was kept waiting for two hours sooner than the case got lodged.


Dum Dum falls underneath Barrackpore police commissionarate, however metro stays a Kolkata Police topic. Interestingly, in Kolkata, DC South holds the additional price of incidents in Metro, but the divisional DCPs supervise the probe as soon because the cases get registered on the local police stations.


“All those issues will develop into extra acute as Kolkata Metro expands. This town has led others when a dedicated cyber police station was set up. There is no reason why you cannot set up dedicated police stations for Kolkata Metro, the oldest in India. All it needs is a few political will,” mentioned a serving IPS officer.
Moral policing on Kolkata Metro: Dedicated police stations need of the hour Moral policing on Kolkata Metro: Dedicated police stations need of the hour Reviewed by Kailash on May 07, 2018 Rating: 5
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