Central Railway RPF saves 86 lives in 2022-23

We have all seen at least one video of an agile Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel who takes a split-second decision and saves a person from a gruesome death just in the nick of time. Not all of these daring lifesaving acts are caught on camera and hence don't reach us. Well, the Central Railway's RPF deserves kudos as it saved 86 lives between April 2022 and March 2023. Besides saving the lives of commuters, the RPF has even stopped people trying to commit suicide.

Mumbai division tops in lives saved by RPF

According to CR officials, 33 out of 86 cases were reported from Mumbai Division followed by Nagpur and Bhusaval Divisions (17 each), Pune Division (13) and Solapur Division (6). Lauding the RPF bravehearts, a senior official said that these personnel even risked their own life at times to save someone. “In most cases, victims were trying to board or deboard a moving train. Some visuals of these lifesaving incidents have become very popular in print and electronic media besides becoming viral on social media,” added the official.

RPF's primary role to safeguard railway properties

Primarily tasked with safeguarding railway properties, the RPF faces diverse security challenges such as crime against passengers and railway properties, extremist violence, obstruction to train movement, rescuing missing children and seizing narcotics in trains and railway premises, retrieving of passengers’ luggage etc. Amidst all this, they keep a round-the-clock watch on the safety of passengers.

“The CR appeals to passengers not to put their lives at risk by boarding or alighting from a running train. Please arrive at the station well in advance before the scheduled departure of the train,” said the rail spokesperson.