RPF staff punished with salary cut for not helping lost autistic boy

A CCTV camera footage shows Tarun Gupta at Sawantwadi railway station

Three months after a lost 17-year-old autistic boy was forced by the Railway Police Force (RPF) to board the Sindhudurg-bound Tutari Express at Panvel station, officers responsible for this are only paying with a salary cut. Only the annual and half-yearly increment was deducted from the salary of three personnel responsible as punishment. The boy still hasn't been found.

After initial inquiry, it was decided to deduct the annual increment of Constable Monu Tomar, who forced the boy, Tarun Gupta, to board the train. The constable's salary is around R30,000, around R3,000-R4,000 will be deducted from his account. Action was also taken against another constable (he has approximately the same salary) attached to RPF Panvel, Kalu Meena, by deducting a six months increment amount from his salary.

ASI Laxman Singh who was the supervisor for both the constables, has also been penalised for lack of responsibility and a six months increment amount will also be deducted from his account. Singh's salary is approximately R50,000, the exact deduction is not known.
RPF Assistant Security Commissioner RS Bundela confirmed to mid-day the action taken by the Force against its people, and said it was, "Based on the inquiry action was taken against them."

Police intensify search
The Mumbai police have intensified their search to find Tarun who went missing from Colaba on October 1. They have formed a special team to locate him. On Thursday the police received information from Mahim and on Friday they received some information from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus. But the teams which went there did not find anything.

"We are taking all possible routes to find the boy, the special team is constantly looking for him at various locations, we are also coordinating with interstate police through wireless messages with his details and photographs. So far we don't have any specific information of his whereabouts. But our efforts are on and we are hopeful of locating him soon," said Sangaramsinh Nishandar, DCP Zone 1 of Mumbai police.

According to the police, on October 1, Tarun was seen at 13.30 pm by a neighbour at Bhai Jagtap's election nomination rally in Buva Dangad Chowk. Since then he is untraceable, and so a case of kidnapping was registered with MRA Marg police. After registering the FIR, the local police started checking the CCTV footage of the area and he was seen going towards CSMT. On October 10, the MRA police received a call from RPF Panvel, saying the missing boy had been seen at Panvel station on October 2. Detection staff and Tarun's father rushed to Panvel railway station and checked CCTV cameras' footage there. It was found in footage from October 3, the boy was being forced by Constable Tomar to board the Sindhudurg-bound Tutari Express.

The police team and Tarun's father then checked CCTV footage at all railway stations on the route but didn't find him. On checking Sawantwadi railway station's footage, Tarun was seen alighting on October 3. He was also seen roaming at the station and getting into the Janshatabdi Express to Mumbai.

'Last seen at Dadar'
"On October 3 he was seen alighting at Dadar, while other interstate trains such the Chennai Express and other south bound trains were at other platforms. There is a possibility that he could have boarded any of those trains, but we haven't got clues so far from any other state," Nishandar added. The five-member police team that includes API Nilesh Salunkhe, PSI Nilesh Shewale and PSI Rohit Rasam has searched District Police Control Rooms, District Government Hospitals, bus stands, mental hospitals, shelter homes, temples, tourist places and even checked ADR/accidental cases.

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