Railways to train passengers to combat terrorism

Mumbai: The Railway police will launch an operation on Monday at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station where passengers will be trained to tackle any untoward situation including a terror strike.

The 'Operation Savdhan' can equip citizens with right knowledge and skills so that they can extend a helping hand to police to combat terror. The purpose of the drive is to use the same citizens, who are victims, as a formidable resistance against terror, Raj Khilnani, Additional Director General (Railway) told PTI.

"Over 400 passengers are expected to turn up for the training session. There will be a power-point presentation in which previous terror attacks in India and abroad would be shown along with the ways the security forces countered them," Khilnani said.

Similar training sessions would be held on regular basis going by the response of the passengers, he said.

Railway establishments have always been soft targets because of presence of large crowd and chaotic environment.

Any mission against terror would be grossly incomplete without the active engagement and participation of citizens, the officer said.

The Mumbai suburban Railway has witnessed several blasts in which hundreds were killed. In 2003, a bomb went off in a train in Mulund and in July 2006, a series of seven bombs ripped through suburban trains. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was attacked during the 26/11 terror strikes in which over 50 people were killed.