16 January,2014 12:04 PM IST | | Vinay Dalvi
Strict action will be taken against whoever is found committing the offence
Mumbai police has issued a strict warning to its policemen against boarding compartments reserved for the handicapped and cancer patients. In a circular issued yesterday, officers and constables have been asked to refrain from travelling in the reserved coaches. The circular also states that strict action will be taken against the guilty, as the railways has been writing to the police about the issue.
Mumbai Police has said cops travelling by coaches reserved for the handicapped could face a punishment as high as suspension
Western Railway, in the last three months, has written to the Mumbai Police that they have caught 121 policemen travelling in compartments reserved for the handicapped in Mail/Express/local trains. Similarly, Central Railway has also asked for strict action to be taken against cops found committing the offence.
"Many policemen were booked recently by the railways for travelling in compartments for the handicapped, under the section 155 of The Railways Act, 1989. However, most of them were let off after imposing fines of Rs 200-500. The maximum fine imposed on such a traveller does not go beyond Rs 2,000. So cops enter without any fear in reserved compartments," said a senior level police officer of the Mumbai police.
"We will now take serious action against the policemen whom the railway authorities basically the railway protection force (RPF) find travelling in compartments for the handicapped. If you know names, send them to us. We will carry out a departmental inquiry and take action against them, which can also be suspension, as such officers malign the image of the police force," explained the police officer. Around 37 per cent of the offences registered with the Railway Police Force (RPF) are of travelling in coaches reserved for the handicapped and cancer patients.
