On Monday, August 15, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested a man named Firoz Khan (20) for vandalizing the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district. The accused person pelted stones at the train damaging its glass window in the Morena district.
“The incident took place at around 10 am on Sunday (August 13) near Banmore railway station and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has arrested a man in this connection,” Gwalior’s RPF inspector Sanjay Kumar Arya confirmed.
According to the reports, the windows of the Rani Kamalapti-Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat train (20171) got damaged and the said incident created panic among the passengers boarded on the train. The Police arrested the accused only after examining the CCTV footage on Sunday night. The accused has been booked under the relevant provisions of the Railways Act, the official said.
The police also interrogated the accused who admitted to having committed the offence. Interestingly, the police revealed that Firoz has confessed that pelting stones was a sport for him and he used to do it simply because it was entertaining for him. Notably, the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express, which happens to be the fastest train in India, has previously been attacked with stones.
There was a stone-pelting incident on the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express in July as well. The window glass of seats 13 and 14 in the C-7 transportation was damaged during the incident, which took place between Mania and Jajau stations on the Agra Railway Division.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently informed Parliament that since 2019, the Railways has lost more than Rs 55 lakh as a result of the damage brought on by stone-pelting on Vande Bharat trains. Vaishnaw responded to a question in the Lok Sabha by stating that 151 people involved in stone pelting have been detained as a result of similar instances.
“Some incidents of stone pelting incidents have been reported on Vande Bharat trains. During the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 (up to June), Indian Railways suffered losses of Rs 55.60 lakh due to damage caused to Vande Bharat trains in the incidents of stone pelting,” he said.
Vaishnaw stated that the RPF, in collaboration with the GRP/District police, and the civil administration, is conducting OPERATION SATHI in densely populated regions next to railway tracks to raise awareness against stone pelting and its repercussions in order to protect the lives of passengers and prevent damage to railway property from vandalism.
