Where do we go from here?

In the wee hours of  July 6th, 2019, three thefts worth lakhs in cash and kind took place in MMCT Rajkot-Mumbai Duronto Express, Train no. 12268. Yet, no newspaper reported it. When I ran a Google search on 'Duronto train theft', I was shocked to find that this is the second incident of robbery on Duronto Express  which has transpired  in the year 2019 alone; the first being in January on its Delhi-Jammu run. While the one in January was widely covered by different publications, the media has remained quiet over the recent one. I can't help but wonder why.  Is it the administration's and our own amnesia towards such acts of felony  that has  aided and abetted them to become  part of the mundane?

"My wife woke up in the middle of the night, to find her purse missing. She then shook me awake. We both looked around to see if it had fallen or something, but there was no trace of it anywhere" recounts a traumatized Ramachandran, an executive working in Gift City.   

Following the sounds of commotion in the next compartment, Ramachandran soon realised that they were not the sole victims. Two other thefts  had taken place that same night. The TC Sandip Chowdhary was contacted, who quickly sent out an SOS to Mumbai railway police.  In the meanwhile, the deputy TC took down the details of the thefts, which included, gold jewellery, cellphones, wads of money, and credit cards. A search operation was carried out which lead to the open doors of compartments G1 and G6, a clear indication that the miscreants had escaped in the dead of the night. Further investigation revealed that the thieves must have carried out their clandestine operation between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., subsequently, pulled the emergency chain, and escaped. 

The husband of one of the victims succeeded in getting through to an officer on 1512, the IRCTC distress number. However, the officer-on-duty was apt to inform that even though as per the timings of the thefts, they must have occurred between Vadodara and Bharuch Stations, the FIRs could only be registered at Mumbai Central, which was the next stop. "In the meanwhile,  we managed to go online and register the theft of the ladies’ hand purses  with the Mumbai Central Railway Police Force (RPF)," recounts Ramachandran, disappointment still audible in his voice.

However, to the dismay of the  complainants, on reaching the station in person, they were informed that since the theft took place near Vadodara, the case falls under the jurisdiction of Vadodara Police station and should rightfully be followed up and examined by them. 

While one of the victims, who  was accompanying her husband to a wedding in Mumbai, was in tears for  her stolen hand purse contained cash, gold chain and gold rings, the second grief-stricken woman informed that hers too held gold earrings, and her husband's wallet with cash and phone. The third one had lost cash, credit/debit cards, Aadhar card, driving license and a mobile phone.

 Despite the fact that one of the stolen  cell phones, on being dialled, returned a ring, and could have easily been tracked, the RPF in Mumbai Central insisted that only  Vadodara police station was authorised to follow up with the procedure. "They had washed their hands off, leaving us  all in the lurch, and the pilferers at large, to play the chasing game," concluded Ramachandran, just beginning to come to terms with the way the system works in our country. "Until one actually comes face to face with a situation such as this, one lives in the Utopia of 'Mera Desh Mahaan'..." philosophises one of the victims.

It is unfortunate that a premium express service like Duronto, from being associated with hygiene, speed and punctuality, should now be paired with western-movie-style train robberies. Strangely, despite recurrent occurrences of such nature, the authorities have not stepped in to take action in terms of manning the trains with security personnel.  Call it a blind faith in humanity, indifference towards the safety of the passengers, or unwillingness to invest in a sector which does not offer tangible return, the complacency of the concerned authorities is nothing short of appalling. 

 However, it is to be hoped that  the new railway budget's ₹5,000 crore  slot  assigned solely to Railway passenger safety, will set in train appropriate measures to prevent such untoward incidents.