Say Delhi cops. CISF officials agree the man couldn't have walked in undetected through the Metro stations
Say Delhi cops. CISF officials agree the man couldn't have walked in undetected through the Metro stations
Is the Delhi Metro secure? Probably not.
Just a day after Independence Day, when security in the city was supposed to be foolproof, an unidentified man loitered unnoticed onto the Metro track near Seelampur and committed suicide.
Delhi police officials investigating the case say the person did not enter through the Seelampur Metro Station but sneaked in through a hole in the wall running along the track.
"Apparently, he sneaked in through a collapsed section in the wall running along the Metro track between Seelampur and Shastri Park stations," said a senior Delhi police official, wishing anonymity.u00a0
An official from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), in charge of Delhi Metro network's security,
corroborated the Delhi police claim. "Metro stations are monitored by security cameras. If a person walks onto the tracks, he can be easily spotted. CISF officials too monitor the stations 24X7. It's impossible for anyone to walk to the tracks undetected through a Metro station," said the CISF official.
However, CISF Spokesperson Rohit Katiyar refused to reveal any details. "We are looking into the incident and are in touch with the Delhi Metro and the city police," said Katiyar.
After the 2006 Seelampur riots against MCD sealing drive, during which Metro trains were pelted at and Metro property worth several lakh rupees were destroyed, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporationu00a0 (DMRC) had decided to raise the height of the wall to prevent further occurrence of such incidents. However, the work has still not been completed. "The wall along the corridor was eight metre high. However, after the riots, it was planned to raise the wall by another five metres. The work will be completed within a month. Even the construction area is guarded round the clock. It is unlikely someone can cross the wall from there and walk to the track," said a Delhi Metro spokesperson.
Where did he come from?
The Delhi police said the victim was not properly dressed and had no identification on him. "He was in half-pants and no token or Metro smart card was found on his body. Other circumstantial evidence also indicate that he entered the network through a hole in the wall along the track," said the cop.
"The spot where the victim was hit by the train is around 200 metres away from the Seelampur Station. If the person had entered the tracks through the Metro station, giving a slip to CISF officials, he would definitely been spotted by train operators. During the time of the incident, the frequency of trains was around five minutes," added the cop.u00a0
When contacted, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railways) BS Gurjar said, "The victim has not been identified yet. Hopefully, we will get more details when the deceased is identified."
More goof-ups
June 2008
Two persons reportedly went missing in the Metro tunnel at Rajiv Chowk Metro station on the Dwarka-Indraprastha Line. Though security agencies found a ladder in the tunnel, they couldn't locate the people. The incident was later declared a hoax.
Jan 2009
A thief entered the electrical storeroom of the Barakhamba Metro Station to steal copper wires. He was electrocuted to death. It remained a mystery how he reached the store with a hacksaw and a torch.
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