With Holi just around the corner,the railway police have started getting complaints of miscreants hurling water-filled balloons on commuters. Over the last two days,the Mumbai railway police helpline has recorded four such complaints from commuters. To curb the menace,the railway police have decided to stress on ground patrolling and deploying cops in the trains. The two-day Holi festival falls on the 10th and 11th of this month. The commuters,who have registered complaints with our helpline,have not suffered serious injuries. But this is an indication that the menace has begun, said Ashok Kumar Sharma,commissioner of police,Mumbai railway police. We have decided to deploy men on ground who would do the patrolling job along the slums, said Sharma. Our men would also be travelling on board and keep a tab on these areas. This,in a way,will create a fear of getting caught among the miscreants, added Sharma. We are working out details on the number of cops to be deployed for this job, he said. Every year,several commuters suffer injuries,sometimes even grievous,from such actions from miscreants,who reside in the slums along the railway tracks. They throw water-filled balloons on the commuters. They target the commuters either sitting near the window or standing near the door. Cases of balloons filled with contaminated water and plastic bags filled with contaminated water and small pebbles have been reported in the past. This has also led to serious injuries to the commuters. The railway police have identified the chronic spots,which include the slums on the harbour line,slums between Kurla-Sion-Matunga on the Central line and Bandra-Mahim on the Western line. The police,however,agree that the menace has reduced over the years. Since some of the slums along the railway lines have reduced,the problem has also reduced, added Sharma.
