Sent to tackle touts, RPF men join them

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Railway Board files charge sheet against Ahmedabad divisional security commissioner
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Tuesday, February 10, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article&sectname=News%20-%20Latest&sectid=2&contentid=2009021020090210024430616dd374fee)

Corruption, seat-cornering, gambling, bootlegging and illegal trading of goods: The Ahmedabad railway division is bedevilled with a number of vices, thanks to some rogue Railway Protection Force (RPF) jawans and officials.A special vigilance squad has reportedly found that some RPF jawans connived with touts and traders in carrying out of unlawful activities at railway stations, yards and warehouses that are under the Ahmedabad division’s jurisdiction.
Sources say the vigilance squad, which arrived in Ahmedabad from Delhi 15 days ago, has even filed a report against ASI Rajeev Ranjan, who headed the Special Task Force. The unit that Ranjan led was formed by the RPF to snare racketeers and rid the Ahmedabad railway division of corruption. The sources say the vigilance squad found that Ranjan, who was transferred to Bilaspur a week ago, had himself resorted to underhand ways.

The vigilance team, according to sources, has submitted a report on the goings-on, including gambling and bootlegging, in the Ahmedabad railway division to the RPF DG in Delhi. The railway board has also reportedly chargesheeted the divisional security commissioner (DSC), Rakesh Mishra, under RPF section 153.

AM tried to contact Mishra, but he refused to comment over the phone. The RPF of Ahmedabad division was under scanner for quite some time. Senior railway officials in Ahmedabad and Delhi had, in fact, received a litany of corruption complaints against some RPF jawans. The CBI and railway board were also apprised of the situation in the Ahmedabad division. The sources say the CBI had responded to the complaints, and had caught a PI of RPF, L S Yadav, and three constables accepting a bribe.

After arriving in Ahmedabad, the vigilance team launched an undercover operation to identify rogue RPF jawans. A member of the team, the sources say, stood in the queue outside the general compartment of Ashram Express. The member then saw that a porter offering a passenger a seat in the compartment for a paltry sum. When the member confronted the porter, he revealed that he had offered a seat on the instruction of an RPF jawan.

The sources say the vigilance team later found that some RPF jawans were pocketing money by fleecing passengers. A senior railway official, who didn’t want to be named, said that the highest number of corruption cases in the state had been filed against the RPF of Ahmedabad division.

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