The railway police now have their own team of commandos to respond to terror attacks. The first batch of 25 specially trained police officials, who will function like a quick response team (QRT), was on May 26 posted at 17 stations of the Government
Policemen at churchgate Railway station
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The railway police now have their own team of commandos to respond to terror attacks. The first batch of 25 specially trained police officials, who will function like a quick response team (QRT), was on May 26 posted at 17 stations of the Government Railway Police (GRP) in the city.
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Mumbai is the first to have GRP commandos. The batch has been split into two to three police officials, depending on the flow of commuter crowds and sensitivity of railway stations. The aim is to have six such personnel at each station. Additional commandos will join soon.
"The jawans were trained for 11 months like the elite commandos of Force One, QRTs and Black Cats of National Security Guard. They will engage with terrorists till the arrival of additional support and can eliminate a target within seconds," said a senior police officer.
Each GRP commando has been given an AK-47 assault rifle, 100 live cartridges and a bulletproof jacket. The GRP team will maintain round-the-clock vigil at stations that see heavy crowds, will conduct regular patrols, and keep an eye out for suspicious objects and persons.
Railway property are considered soft targets of anti-social elements and terrorists. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus faced one of the worst terror attacks in the country on November 26, 2008. On January 25, a 380-kg iron beam was recovered from railway tracks near Diva. The police suspect it was meant to derail trains in an act of terror.
The police officer said the GRP commandos will patrol such high-risk stations and keep an eye on porous entry/exit points. "Railway stations receive the highest hoax threat calls. Additional security personnel can help check the veracity of these threats."
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