Over 17,000 FIRs lodged in 2020 for incidents of crime on trains

New Delhi: More than 17,000 FIRs were registered in the country in 2020 for incidents of crime on trains, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal informed Parliament on Wednesday.In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Goyal said 54,552 FIRs were registered in 2019, while in 2018, 55,780 cases were filed. In 2020, when no train services were operational for most of the year, only 17,125 FIRs were registered.”Policing on Railways being a state subject, prevention of crime, registration of cases, their investigation and maintenance of law and order in Railway premises as well as on running trains are the statutory responsibility of the state governments, which they discharge through Government Railway Police (GRP)/District Police,” Goyal said.However, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) supplements the efforts of the GRP to provide better protection and security of passenger areas and passengers and for related matters.”Whenever any information about the status of crime on Railways is sought, state GRP is requested to provide the information,” the minister said.He also said CCTV cameras have been provided in 2,931 coaches of trains and 668 railway stations for strengthening passenger-security measures.