Railway Protection Force to combat stone throwing at trains with awareness drive among students

Expecting a lasting solution to repeated incidents of stone pelting at moving trains, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has launched a targeted awareness campaign focusing on school and college students across the northern districts of Kerala. The drive highlights the legal consequences of such acts, which are often treated as sabotage attempts and are punishable under the Railways Act.

RPF officers said the special awareness drive, which was formally launched at a school in Vadakara on Tuesday (September 9, 2025), would be carried out in as many schools and colleges as possible with the support of the Government Railway Police, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, and local administrators. They revealed that stone throwing incidents along the Palakkad–Mangaluru stretch had increased in recent years, posing a serious threat to passenger safety.

“The majority of the cases in the past under the Southern Railway division were reported between the Kozhikode–Kannur stretch. In 2022, the Palakkad division had recorded 32 such incidents, of which 12 took place along the Kozhikode–Kannur stretch,” said a senior RPF officer working under the Palakkad division. He added the situation had not been any different in 2023, when 11 out of the 23 cases were reported on the same stretch.

According to RPF officers, the frequently targeted trains are the Sampark Kranti Express, Vande Bharat Express, Mangaluru–Chennai Superfast, and Netravati Express. In the absence of direct witnesses and surveillance camera footage, only a few suspects have been caught for the offence.

RPF officers said the latest awareness campaign was also part of plans to step up surveillance on railway tracks through high-end cameras in vulnerable areas and round-the-clock patrolling of such spots. They pointed out that youngsters’ growing involvement in such incidents had prompted them to focus on students through a targeted awareness drive. They added that complaints from some injured passengers had also been instrumental in launching the initiative.

“In the past, the RPF and the Railway authorities had recommended the deployment of motorcycle patrol squads along high-risk sections, apart from conducting interactive awareness programmes for residents. The latest campaign was part of the recommendations made by a State-level security committee,” said an RPF Inspector involved in the campaign. He said various mass contact programmes were also under consideration, targeting residents, traders, and members of voluntary organisations to strengthen community vigilance and ensure prompt reporting of suspected offences.