CST attack highlights need to upgrade arms of RPF personnel

Head Constable Jillu Yadav may have shown exemplary courage in snatching a gun from his GRP colleague to fire back, even earning a Rs 10 lakh award from Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav later, but his brave act has now brought his force, which expects unarmed head constables and constables to guard places like CST, under the scanner.

The RPF Headquarters in New Delhi have been in a huddle ever since the Mumbai siege ended. “The armed component in our deployment in railway stations needs to be increased. Presently, only 10 per cent of our men carry weapons in railway stations. We need to increase it to atleast 30-40 per cent,” admitted a senior RPF officer.

The RPF equips personnel of only sub-inspector level and above with revolvers and pistols given the fact that their usage requires special training. The force is now actively considering training and equipping its constabulary with small arms. “Our head constables and constables could have fared better if they had small arms on them,” admitted an RPF official.

Another aspect under review is the kind of weapons available to the RPF constabulary now — mostly .303 rifles and carbines. In contrast, the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) — an elite unit carved out of the RPF during the Chinese aggression — equips its personnel with Self-Loading Rifles (SLR) and INSAS rifles.