Home Ministry to set up expert panel for rail tracks security

NEW DELHI: The Home Ministry today decided to set up an expert committee to suggest steps for strengthening security of railway tracks and other assets.

The decision was taken at a meeting convened by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, among others.

"The Home minister (has) decided to constitute an expert committee to suggest measures to strengthen safety and security of railway tracks and property," a spokesperson for the ministry said.

The meeting was attended by Ministers of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Intelligence Bureau chief Rajiv Jain, special secretary internal security and senior railway ministry officials.

"A fruitful coordination meeting to improve security of Indian railways and for better protection of railway assets including rail tracks," Rijiju tweeted after the meeting.

The Home Ministry spokesperson said Rajnath Singh and Suresh Prabhu discussed the recent incidents of railway accidents.

Earlier Prabhu had written to Singh seeking a detailed probe by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) into at least six incidents where accidents took place or an effort was made to cause an accident.

Following his letter, the Home Ministry handed over to the NIA the probe into three cases.

These cases include the recovery of an improvised explosive device (IED) at railway track in Ghorasahan in Bihar on October 1 last year and the incidents of derailment at Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Kuneru in Andhra Pradesh.